Fifty foreign experts were honored with the Friendship Award by China at a ceremony here Thursday for their contributions to the country's economic and social development.

BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Fifty foreign experts were honored with the Friendship Award by China at a ceremony here Thursday for their contributions to the country's economic and social development.

    Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi, presenting the award for these 50 winners, said at the ceremony that the foreign experts brought China advanced technology, expertise and management methods, all of which are needed in China's process of modernization.

    China sincerely welcomes foreign experts to work here and will provide them with a more favorable environment and services, Wu said, noting that China's comprehensive social and economic development will help create enormous opportunities for foreign experts to work in China, and contribute more to world peace and development.

    While China attaches great importance to developing domestic expertise under the strategy of empowering the country with talented people, she acknowledged, the country will continue to make more efforts to draw foreign brains by further improving the conditions for foreign experts, keep improving the relevant regulations concerning experts from overseas, and protecting the interests of foreign experts.

Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi (R) is presenting the award to one foreign expert.

    The "Friendship Award" is the supreme award the Chinese government confers to foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to China's economic and social progress. A total of 850 foreign experts from 55 countries worldwide have been awarded since 1991.

    More than 200,000 foreign experts come to China for work each year.

    This year's award winners were from 21 countries, such as Australia, Britain, France, Germany, India, Japan, the Republic ofKorea, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States, 35 are experts in the sphere of economic technology, and 15 in culture and education fields, according to sources with the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs. Enditem