NPC deputy and J-16 pilot Wang Wenyi from a PLA Air Force aviation brigade attends the first "Deputies' Passage" group interview during the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2026. Photo: VCG

During the first group interview in the "Deputies' Passage" of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday morning, Wang Wenyi, an NPC deputy who is also a J-16 pilot from an aviation brigade of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, shared his experiences from frontline training.

Wang said the brigade he serves in is a unit with a proud tradition. A military history corridor built beside the squadron displays photos and written records documenting the unit's operational achievements as it deployed across different regions of the country. Whenever missions were assigned, officers and soldiers responded immediately and moved to the front line, leaving the footprints of rotational deployments and training missions in 14 locations in seven provinces, according to Beijing Youth Daily. 

As a J-16 pilot, Wang said his most direct impression is that the tighter combat readiness training is at the base level, the stronger the unit's combat capability becomes. Recalling a long-duration mission over distant seas, he said the scenario remains vivid in his memory. 

"Based on real-time changes in the aerial combat situation, we conducted offensive and defensive maneuvers back-to-back with our comrades. After the first round of confrontation ended, we immediately moved on to aerial refueling, shifting from the intense state of air combat to the precise operation required for refueling, before quickly returning to a combat posture, flying back to our positions and continuing the confrontation," he said. 

Wang said that although combat readiness tasks are demanding and training intensity is high, safeguarding national peace and the well-being of the people brings a strong sense of mission and pride.

"The fourth plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has outlined a new blueprint for building a strong country and a strong military, and the PLA will mark its 100th anniversary next year. We feel that the goals are clear and the responsibilities are heavy," Wang said, noting that he and his comrades will remain dedicated to their posts, race against time, stay ready for combat and fulfill their missions, contributing their efforts to the realization of the blueprint.


Global Times