Otto Ciliax

Otto Ciliax (born on October, 30 1891 in Gotha-Neudietendorf, Germany) is a German naval officer. He is known as the current Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Imperial Navy, that is mostly composed of German battleships.

Konter-Admiral Ciliax entered the Kaiserliche Marine in 1910, and fought in the submarine corps during the Weltkrieg, where he was properly distinguished. After the war, he assumed various commands in the Kaiserliche Marine in European seas and throughout the world, most notably during the 1926 German Intervention in China. After the German conquest, he was among the few Counter-Admirals in the Allgemeine Ostasiatische Gesellschaft Colonial Navy. When Governor-General Alexander von Falkenhausen sold various old battleships to the Chinese Empire, one point that was raised after the negotiations: most of the former Chinese naval commanders had died or defected to other navies during the Navy, and the next generation was still too young to assume further command. As such, Ciliax was sent to Beijing as a Special Adviser, and later appointed by the Xuantong Emperor to the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Navy.