CANBERRA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- Australian experts who have received "The friendship award", the highest form of award from the Chinese government, gathered here Thursday night hoping in unison for an elevation of Sino-Australian relations.

    Robert Park, an international expert in the discipline of wheat rust began working at a company in plantings at Henan since 2004, thanked the Chinese government's award that reaffirmed and promoted Australian specialists to contribute for China's economy and others.

    China's "Friendship Award" is the highest form of praise from the Chinese government to foreign experts, as a gratitude and honor to those achieved and contributed substantially.

    He expressed he will still be committed to promote Australian-China technological exchanges and networking between the peoples of the two countries.

    Chinese ambassador Zhang Junsai, expressed his welcome and greets to those who were awarded and their families on behalf of the Chinese government and its people.

    Zhang said that throughout the last 60 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, foreign expert teams have contributed to China's enhancements in social, technological, scientific, educational, cultural and other aspects.

    Australian experts have utilized their intelligence and skills to ameliorate and improve China's standards in agriculture. The selfless contributions are admirable and touching, he said.

    Zhang specially thanked the Australian experts to be Sino-Australian "popular ambassadors" in their extra time, and he said this promotes further cultural exchanges between China and Australia on the social level.