50 foreign experts honored with Friendship Awards
By Lei Lei and He Dan ( China Daily) 08:40, September 30, 2013 For Craig Joseph Heck, winning a Friendship Award is an once-in-a-lifetime experience,celebrated when he was one of 50 to receive China’s top award for foreign experts at theGreat Hall of the People on Sunday afternoon.
After winning an award from the local government in Wuhan last year, the 54-year-oldfrom the United States experienced a bigger honor when he was given the 2013 ChineseGovernment Friendship Award.
"Winning this award is a great honor I’ve never expected,” said Heck, who works forHumanwell Healthcare (Group) Co Ltd in Wuhan, Hubei province.
"I do enjoy working in China. It’s sometimes tough being away from your family, butpeople in China treat me with nothing but kindness,” he said. “Last year, I won the localaward in Wuhan. That was an honor. Now to be here (in the Great Hall), is reallyspectacular.”
The Friendship Awards began in 1991 and have become the highest honor foreign expertsreceive from the State Council, or China’s cabinet.
The regulations on Friendship Award state candidates should have passed on newtechnology and expertise to help China solve some key problems or fill a vacancy intechnology and management; have advised and enabled Chinese enterprises to achievebreakthroughs in development; or have made remarkable contributions in the fields ofteaching, academic studies, publication and publicity overseas.
The winners are usually announced in late September followed by an awards ceremony inBeijing.
A total of 1,249 foreign experts, from 65 countries and regions, have received the awardsince 1991.
Vice-Premier Ma Kai presented certificates and medals to 50 foreign expert awardwinners from 20 countries on Sunday.
"The foreign experts in China are close friends of the Chinese people. They are a bridge forcommunication between China and other countries and an important force for China’sdevelopment,” Ma said.
"The Chinese people will always remember their contribution to China’s development andprogress.”
Ma said there were more than 550,000 foreign experts working in China last year. Hestressed that China will implement more open policies for inviting foreign experts.
"The Chinese government will attach more importance to the efforts that foreign expertsmake in China,” he said. “We will work harder to create a better atmosphere and morespace for them to work or start their careers here.”
The award winners spoke of their satisfaction working in China.
"Like many overseas experts, I was attracted to China by the significant, long-terminvestments being made and saw an opportunity to use my expertise to assist China alongits journey of development and prosperity,” said Dennis Raymond John Scott from theUnited Kingdom, an award winner this year.
"We hoped it would be a rewarding experience for my family and me, and it has certainlyexceeded our expectations in every aspect of our daily lives,” said Scott, who works forCommercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd in Shanghai.
"Before we arrived, we read books and articles to prepare for our adventure, but we totallyunderestimated the openness of the Chinese people. Irrespective of their title, position andstanding, people from all walks of life have welcomed us into their environment, hearts andhomes,” he said.
The Friendship Awards grew out of the “China and Soviet Union Friendship Medal”. From1949 to 1960, more than 30,000 Soviet Union experts from various fields includingmining, agriculture and engineering came to China and used their expertise to boostChina’s modernization.
To recognize their contribution, the Chinese government in 1955 started to give badgeswith the slogan “Long Live China and Soviet Union Friendship” and other certificates ofmerit to experts whose contracts ended and were about to depart.
Since 1991, in an ordinary year, 50 foreign experts are selected for the awards, while thenumber expands to 100 in a year that falls on a significant anniversary of the founding thePeople’s Republic of China, such as 2004 or 2009. Each foreign expert can only win theaward once.
Ministries, provincial and some municipal-level administrations of foreign experts affairscan recommend two to three candidates for the award to the State Administration ofForeign Experts Affairs, which organizes a judging panel to select the winners.
（Editor：ChenLidan、Yao Chun）
Related reading
|
