On February 4, coinciding with the beginning of spring, the press conference hall of the Great Hall of the People was filled with a festive and friendly atmosphere. Wearing medals and taking a group photo ......Foreign experts accepted the 2023 China Friendship Award, and the venue reverberated with warm applause.
The China Friendship Award is an honorary award specially set up by China to commend foreign experts who have made important contributions to China's reform and development. So far, 1,898 experts from more than 80 countries and regions have won this award.
On February 4, 2024, the award ceremony of the 2023 China ** Friendship Award was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Pang Xinglei.
The origins of the Friendship Award can be traced back to the 50s of the 20th century. At that time, the Soviet experts who came to work in China were awarded the "Friendship Medal" and the "Certificate of Appreciation of the People's Republic of China" signed by the Prime Minister. After the reform and opening up, with the consent of the first country, China officially resumed the establishment of the Friendship Award in 1991, and the commendation of foreign experts was fully restored and developed.
**. Attach great importance to the work related to the Friendship Award. Over the years, the relevant leaders have awarded medals and certificates to the award-winning experts, and the prime minister has met with the award-winning experts many times and took a group photo. The award-winning experts were also invited to participate in important activities such as the National Day reception. In 2023, a total of 50 experts from 26 countries were awarded, covering five continents.
Why do these "foreigners" get China's best commendation? What kind of special friendship do they have with China?
The reporter learned that the 2023 Friendship Award winning experts are engaged in various fields: international people who are committed to China's international cooperation on ecological and environmental protection, policy experts who are deeply involved in the reform of China's health service system, and "foreign Internet celebrities" ......who tell the story of China's governance on overseas social platformsThey are foreigners but not "outsiders", and they are fellow travelers and true friends and confidants of the Chinese people on the journey of continuous struggle.
What is the weight of such a special friendship in the hearts of these foreign experts?
Savryubek Kapelabekov, a Kazakh ophthalmologist from Heilongjiang Daqing Eye Hospital, has been treating patients for 25 years and helping Chinese patients with eye diseases regain their sight. "In the past 25 years, I have fallen deeply in love with Heilongjiang and the land of China. In Kapelabekov's view, the Friendship Award is not only an affirmation of himself, but also a reflection of the deep friendship between the Chinese and Kazakh peoples.
On February 4, 2024, the award ceremony of the 2023 China ** Friendship Award was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. This was the statement of the award-winning expert on behalf of Savryubek Kapelabekov. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Pang Xinglei.
Erik Solheim, an award-winning Norwegian expert and former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, has witnessed the great achievements made in China's ecological civilization construction over the years, and actively promoted stories such as Saihan Dam and the "Ten Million Project" to the world.
Identify with the heart and contribute sincerely. The profound "Chinese affection" of these "foreign faces" has made the hand of cooperation more firmly held and the bond of friendship tighter.
For these foreign experts, setting their sights on China and taking root in China stems from the strong "Chinese magnetism".
The unique charm of Chinese civilization, the significant advantages of the Chinese system, and the great opportunities for Chinese-style modernization ......A new era of great promise and great achievements has planted a fertile soil for displaying talents and realizing self-worth, and provided a broad stage for entrepreneurship.
The high-level commendation reflects China's recognition and respect for the wisdom and hard work of these foreign experts, demonstrates the Chinese nation's character of valuing love and justice, and declares China's determination to continue to promote all-round and high-level opening-up on the new journey.
Over the years, China's pattern of attracting and employing talents of "those who are near are happy, and those who are far away" has been continuously formed, injecting more "living water from the source" into high-quality development. We will fully implement the work permit system for foreigners in China and provide facilitation ...... for applying for permanent residence in ChinaPolicies and measures continue to be optimized, conveying the sincerity of opening up the road to talents.
Mikhail Morozov, an award-winning Russian expert and deputy editor-in-chief of Labor Daily, said that it is a very wise policy choice to promote talents from all over the world to help and support China's development. Yvonne le Maho, a French biodiversity expert and academician of the French Academy of Sciences, said that on the basis of mutual benefit and win-win results, China will continue to attract more outstanding talents.
*: Xinhua News Agency).