Two academicians win China's top sci-tech award

By Xue Lingqiao

(ECNS) -- Two Chinese academicians, Chen Liquan and Ben De, won China's top sci-tech award on Wednesday. 

Chen is a researcher at the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Born in March, 1940 in Nanchong, Southwest China's Sichuan, he was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2001. 

Chen is the founder, pioneer and leader in the field of lithium batteries in China. He initiated the study of solid‑state ionics in the country, developed China's first lithium battery, and established the first pilot production line, thereby launching the industrialization of lithium batteries in China. 

He advanced sodium batteries from original innovation to large‑scale application, securing China's strategic initiative in the new‑generation battery technology arena. 

Ben De is a researcher at China Electronics Technology Group Corporation. Born in April, 1938 in Changchun, Northeast China's Jilin, he was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2001. 

Ben De is a renowned radar expert. He is the founder of China's airborne pulse‑Doppler radar technology, a major pioneer of phased array radar technology, and a forerunner in space‑based surveillance radar.

He successfully developed China's first airborne pulse Doppler fire‑control radar and the first large‑scale long‑range phased array early‑warning radar.

The two fundamental modern radar technologies he broke through pulse Doppler and phased array, have shaped the development of China's radar‑based early‑warning and detection systems across land, sea, air and space, forging the "sharp-eyed vigilance" that secures China's information dominance.