Border officer awarded youth May Fourth medal

Li Jinjing, a 35-year-old border police officer who has spent 15 years on the front lines of China's anti-drug campaign, has been awarded the 2026 China Youth May Fourth Medal — one of the country's highest honors for young people.

Serving as an officer with the Qingshuihe Border Inspection Station under the Yunnan Entry-Exit Border Inspection General Station, he has faced numerous challenges ranging from dangerous undercover operations and high-risk arrests to multimillion-yuan bribery attempts.

Li has been involved in the arrest of 147 suspects and the seizure of more than 2.1 metric tons of drugs since joining the force.

Li's achievements come from years of operating in some of the most dangerous circumstances faced by anti-drug officers.

He has participated in a number of cases, including seven major drug busts involving more than 100 kilograms of narcotics.

One mission in June 2024 remains particularly memorable.

Posing as a contact for a drug deal, Li went alone to a hotel to meet traffickers. The suspects changed their plans at the last minute and arranged for him to share a room with three men armed with switchblades.

Li stayed awake throughout the night, knowing that the slightest mistake could expose his identity.

"My nerves were stretched as tight as a bowstring," he said."One mistake could have exposed me."

The tension continued the following morning. While taking an elevator to breakfast with the suspects, he unexpectedly encountered two uniformed colleagues who had no knowledge of his undercover role. During the brief ride, Li forced himself to chat and laugh with the suspects while avoiding eye contact with his fellow officers.

"Those 50 seconds felt like an eternity," he said. "I had to keep talking and laughing to cover up my heartbeat."

Moments later, he encountered another colleague in the hotel restaurant. Seizing an opportunity when a suspect looked away, Li scratched his head — a prearranged signal. His colleague immediately understood the warning, helping avert what could have been a disastrous exposure.

After spending two days and one night living alongside the traffickers, Li and the task force successfully dismantled a major drug trafficking ring, arresting four suspects and seizing 39 kg of heroin.

While the undercover operation tested his patience and composure, another mission demanded split-second courage.

During an arrest operation, two suspects arrived at a hotel with their vehicle's engine still running, ready for a quick escape. As one suspect climbed back into the car with a box of drugs and reached for the door, Li lunged forward, squeezing half his body into the vehicle just before the door closed.

The driver immediately locked all four doors.

Trapped inside, Li grappled with the two suspects while colleagues outside struggled to gain access. Unable to open the doors, they smashed all six windows and reached through the shattered glass to unlock the vehicle from the inside.

When Li emerged, broken glass covered his clothes, hair and face. Shards had pierced his clothing and left cuts across his body.

"At that moment, I couldn't think about whether there was a knife or any other danger," he said. "All I knew was that if the car got away, catching them later would be much harder."

Danger, however, is not the only challenge anti-drug officers face.

During another operation, Li discovered a fleeing drug trafficker hiding beneath a vehicle. The suspect offered him 2 million yuan ($293,800) in exchange for letting him go. When Li showed no reaction, the man raised the offer to 5 million yuan.

Li instead called out to nearby officers, directing them to the suspect's location.

"Our bottom line is non-negotiable," he said.

Li has received first-, second-and third-class personal merits during his career. Yet he remains modest about the risks and sacrifices behind those honors.

"I don't need to prove myself by standing in the spotlight," he said. "Fighting drugs and protecting the people are our duties. A world free from drugs is the best reward for us."

Zheng Jinran in Beijing contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at yanyj@chinadaily.com.cn