Six foreign scientists received China's National Award of International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Tuesday in Beijing for their outstanding contribution to promoting China's development.
Two of the award winners -- Charles Y. Yang, an American Chinese, and Canadian Chinese Mao Huanyu -- received the highest honor for foreigners.
All six commendations were awarded by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The four other winners were Germany's Micheal Petzet, Japan's Kuroda Yoshimasu, Brazil's Jose Israel Vargas and Sweden's Bjorn Erik Wilhelm Nordenstrom.
According to the ministry, a total of 26 foreign scientists have received the annual award since it was formally launched in 1995.
Xu Guanhua, minister of science and technology, stressed at the awarding ceremony that international cooperation in science and technology has played a huge role in boosting China's social and economic development.
"Now China has become a member of World Trade Organization (WTO), scientific and technological cooperation and exchanges have become even more important than before,'' said Xu.
Following the winners' example, increasingly more foreign scientists, engineers and experts are expected to devote themselves to bilateral and multilateral cooperations in science and technology, Xu said.
The winners expressed they will continue their efforts in this endeavour.
"I'd like to thank the Chinese Government for the lofty honor, and we will further this effort in promoting China's development in science and strengthening the Sino-US relationship,'' Yang said at the ceremony.
(China Daily July 17, 2002)
