Zhang Zhaozhong (military official)
| Zhang Zhaozhong | |
|---|---|
 Zhang Zhaozhong in Beijing in 2008 | |
| Native name | 张召忠 |
| Born |
1952 (age 63–64) Yanshan County, Hebei, China |
| Allegiance |
 People's Republic of China |
| Service/branch |
 People's Liberation Army Navy |
| Years of service | 1970 - present |
| Rank | Rear Admiral |
| Commands held | military theorist at the PLA National Defense University |
Zhang Zhaozhong (Chinese: 张召忠; born 1952 in Hebei) is a Chinese military theorist at the PLA National Defense University.[1] He holds the rank of Rear Admiral in the People's Liberation Army Navy.
A frequent commentator on state-run television outlets, Zhang is known of his successful predictions about the Gulf War and wrong predictions during the CCTV live broadcast of the Iraq War. He is also known for some of his belligerent comments to hide the real military strength of China. The best-known instance was his dramatical denial of the existence of the Chinese stealth fighter J-20 by exaggerating the American technological advantages.
In contrast, he also sometimes expresses a low opinion of U.S. military capabilities, with his 2012 assertion that the U.S. would "run like a rabbit" if China went to war with Japan over the Diaoyu Islands being an example.[2] He also suggested that the PLAN might equip civilian fishing boats for suicide attacks against the United States Navy.[3]
References
- ↑ Chief Military Commentator of China (Chinese)
- ↑ David Lague (17 January 2013), Special Report: China's military hawks take the offensive Reuters
- ↑ Bodeen, Christopher. "Stealth destroyer, at over $3 billion apiece, is US Navy’s latest answer to rising China." AP, 3 June 2012.