YAOUNDE, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon on Thursday awarded the medal of Knight of the Order of Valour to Chinese Defense Attache to Cameroon, Senior Colonel Chai Xiaojiang for his vital role in strengthening military relations between the two countries.

The Cameroon army's prestigious military award was handed out to the military official by Cameroon's defense minister, Joseph Beti Assomo in the presence of military officials and Chinese ambassador, Wang Yingwu.

Assomo described Chai as an "exemplary" military official.

"You shall be remembered as an experienced senior officer, calm, level-headed, and highly cultured," Assomo said during the ceremony held in the capital, Yaounde to bid farewell to the military official who came to the end of his mission after spending four years in Cameroon.

"There is an atmosphere of friendship between China and Cameroon. The working relationship between our two militaries is also very good. The cooperation and exchange of programs between our two militaries are very rich and very fruitful," Chai told reporters after the ceremony.