The Chinese Government's Friendship Award () is an award for "foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to the country's economic and social progress" in support of the Chinese Communist Party granted by the People's Republic of China.Foreign Experts Given China Friendship Award - State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, September 28, 2008
Winners of the award are selected by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) under the State Council, implementing the policies of the Communist Party.
The award is conferred as part of the celebrations for the National Day of the People's Republic of China (October 1).Friendship Award, State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (official website, in Chinese) The award consist of a medal and an award certificate. The medal is decorated with a picture of the Great Wall on the obverse along with the inscription "Friendship Award" in Chinese ("友谊奖", on the top), and in English (on the bottom).
, 1,799 foreigners have received the award. By 2024, the number was nearly 2,000.
Notable Laureates +List of RecipientsYearNameProfessionFieldCountryInstitutionCitation1994Paul BouchardCivil EngineerConstruction (cement plant) CanadaFLSmidth1994Horst MarschnerProfessor GermanyUniversity of Hohenheim1995Jane E. JosselynProfessorTranslation United StatesJilin University of Technology1998William Lindesay OBEConservationistEnvironment United KingdomUniversity of Liverpool1999Albert RomanMusicianMusic Switzerland1999Çetin ŞengoncaProfessor GermanyUniversität Bonn'Friendship Award' der Volksrepublik China an Professor Cetin Segonca, in: Anzeiger für Schädlingskunde, Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg, Volume 72/Number 4, August 1999, p. 111, 2001Roger MasonProfessorGeology United KingdomChina University of Geosciences (Wuhan)2002Kai-Ping Roger LoExecutiveIndustrials United States2003Sebastian ZimmerExpert Germany2004Erwin ReischEconomistEconomics GermanyUniversity of HohenheimChinas höchste Auszeichnung für ausländische Staatsbürger 'Friendship Award' an Forscher der Uni Hohenheim, news release by Informationsdienst Wissenschaft dated September 29, 2004, retrieved October 7, 20092004Alan G. MacDiarmidProfessorChemistry United StatesUniversity of Pennsylvania2004Hans-Peter LiebigResearcherAgriculture GermanyUniversity of Hohenheim2005Michael A. PriceProject Management Institute2005Kishō KurokawaArchitectDesign JapanUniversity of Tokyo2006Sabriye TenberkenTibetologistSinology GermanyBraille Without Borders2006Denis SimonProfessorTechnology United States2006Peter AbplanalpProfessorBusiness SwitzerlandUniversity of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland2007Majid SamiiNeurosurgeonMedicine IranUniversity of Mainz2007Reinhart KühneProfessorTransportation GermanyVerleihung des China National Friendship Award an Prof. Reinhart Kühne, Press release of DLR-Transportation Studies of October 1, 2007, retrieved October 7, 20092007Robert FontainePhysicianEpidemiology United StatesAmerican epidemiologist wins China's Friendship Award, People's Daily Online vom 11. Oktober 2007, retrieved 7. October 20092008Werner AlpersProfessor GermanyUniversität HamburgHamburger Meeresforscher erhält Freundschaftspreis der VR China , press release of ZMAW Hamburg dated September 27, 2008, retrieved October 7, 20092008L. RehProfessor SwitzerlandETH ZurichVerleihung des China National Friendship Award 2008 an Prof. Dr. L. Reh, news release of ETH Alumni date December 3, 2008, retrieved October 7, 20092008John L. ThorntonProfessorGlobal Affairs United StatesBrookings Institution2008Scott RozelleProfessorEconomics United StatesStanford University2009Geert RoelensBusinessman BelgiumBekaert2009Pedro NuenoProfessor SpainChina Europe International Business School2009Yevgeny KasperskyExecutiveInformation security RussiaKaspersky LabEugene Kaspersky receives National Friendship Award of China, press notice by Kaspersky Lab, 30. September 2009, retrieved 7. October 20092009Kirby JeffersonExecutiveComputing United StatesIntel2010Rolf MüllerProfessor GermanyVirginia Tech2010Airaldo PivaExecutiveIndustry ItalyHengdian Group EuropeAiraldo Piva, è l'italiano premiato National Friendship Award of China, press release by HG Europe s.r.l. of September 24, 20102010Christne O'SullivanExecutive CanadaSGMW2010Dustin WilsonSportOlympic Coach CanadaChinese Ski Association2011Jeffrey S. LehmanEducatorEducation United StatesCornell University2011Thomas W. KenslerProfessor United StatesUniversity of Pittsburgh2012Hemmo LuijerinkExecutiveHeavy Industry The NetherlandsFuwa Heavy Industry2012Shin-ichi KurokawaProfessorAccelerator science JapanKEK2012Bikram S. GillDirectorAgriculture United StatesKansas State University2012Andreas DuBoisExpertRenewable energy GermanyStorm of Praise for Wind Expert China Daily European Weekly 08/23/2013 page292012Bertram BrenigProfessorMolecular Biology GermanyUniversität Göttingen2012Colin BlakemoreProfessorNeuroscience United KingdomUniversity of Oxford2013Daniel Cohen-OrProfessorComputer science IsraelTel Aviv University2014Branka VuceticElectrical engineerElectrical engineering AustraliaUniversity of Sydney2014Pericle PredielisExpertAgriculture2014George MillsExpert TechnologyDrexel University2014Edmund PhelpsEconomist United StatesColumbia University2014Ruedi NütziDirector SwitzerlandUniversity of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland2014Pavel TalalayProfessorPolar Science RussiaJilin University2015Gerardo DuttoPhysicist CanadaTRIUMF2015Ravi SinghResearcherAgriculture IndiaInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Center2015Vladimir MatichenkovResearcherSoil Science RussiaInstitute Basic Biological Problems Russian academy of Sciences2016David Andrew PhoenixBiochemistBiochemistry United Kingdom London South Bank University2016Wolfgang KubinSinologistSinology GermanyUniversity of Bonn2016Katharina Kohse-HoinghauseMaterial scientistMaterial science Germany2016Peter GrünbergPhysicistPhysics GermanyTechnische Universität Darmstadt2016John M. Gray CBEBankerFinance United KingdomHSBC2016John HopcroftComputer scientistComputer Science United StatesCornell University2016Anna AllabertBroadcaster Russia2016Okyay KaynakProfessor TurkeyBoğaziçi University2016Fredmund MalikEconomistEconomics AustriaUniversity of St. Gallen2017Pierre J. VerlindenChief ScientistPhotovoltaics AustraliaTrina Solar2017Pedro Antonio Valdes-SosaNeuroscientist CubaUniversity of Electronic Science and Technology of China2017Mike WingfieldProfessorForestry and Agricultural Biotechnology South AfricaUniversity of Pretoria2018Enrico GennaroInternational Relations ExpertInternational Cooperation ItalyAccademia di Agricoltura di Torino«2018 Chinese Government Friendship Award Winners - Consultation Symposium Handbook». State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs. September, 2018.2019Artem R. OganovCrystallographerCrystallography RussiaSkolkovo Institute of Science and Technology2019James HeckmanEconomistEconomics United StatesUniversity of Chicago2019Nils Christian StensethBiologistBiology NorwayUniversity of Oslo2019Bernard BigotPhysicistPhysics FranceITER2021AnthropologistAnthropology TahitiPCFA2022Roger FalconerProfessorWater Engineering United KingdomCardiff University2022Hernan CeballosAgronomistCassava Breeding ArgentinaInternational Center for Tropical Agriculture CIAT2024Yuri GledenovProfessorNuclear Physics RussiaJoint Institute for Nuclear Research2024Arup NeogiDistinguished ProfessorSemiconductor Photonics, and Acoustics United StatesUniversity of Electronic Science and Technology of China2024Hans ThyboDistinguished ProfessorGeophysics DenmarkSinoProbe Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences2025Cosimo BambiProfessorPhysics ItalyFudan University
History The award traces its roots to the creation of the Medal of Sino-Soviet Friendship in 1951, when it was awarded to experts from the former Soviet Union and East European countries by the then premier Zhou Enlai and the foreign minister Chen Yi. On September 15, 1955, the Chinese government decreed that each departing Soviet expert be issued a medal.Evolution of the Friendship Award, China Weekly, November 30, 2009 (in Chinese) This medal featured the flags of China and the Soviet Union along with the inscription "Long live the Sino-Soviet Friendship" (). The friendship award was abolished with the Sino-Soviet split in the early 1960s. During the period that followed, in particular the Cultural Revolution, foreigners in China were often regarded as "spies" and very few remained in the country. The new Friendship Award was introduced by the Communist Party in 1991 following China's reopening.
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