(FILE)

Senior Colonel Xing Guangmei has recently gained attention as the first spokeswoman for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy. Last November, when seven PLA units installed new spokespeople, she was the only woman assigned to the position.

Xing has since assumed her new role, sharing duties with a spokesman named Liang Yang. She came into the spotlight on August 26 when she spoke to the media in Weihai, east China's Shandong Province, where an event commemorating the 120th anniversary of the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95 was held.

Xing, 46, holds a Ph.D. in law and does research at the PLA Navy's academic institute in areas that include maritime security policies. She previously worked as an instructor at a military academy in Shandong's Qingdao, her native city.