On the afternoon of September 29, 2008, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met at the Great Hall of the People with 50 chosen foreign specialists who have been given this year's Friendship Award by the Chinese government and their families. Wen, on behalf of the Chinese government and people, expressed warm congratulations to the foreign experts and thanked for their outstanding contributions to China’s modernization drive. He also extended greetings to all foreign experts and friendly personages working in China as well as their families.

Wen said this year China had successfully hosted the Beijing Olympic Games, finished the Shenzhou-7 manned space mission and kept a positive trend in economic and social development after overcoming the severe snow and quake disasters. All the successes and achievements had come about with the collective efforts of Chinese people as well as the support and promotion of the international community including foreign experts and friends in China, he added. China’s development and advance is also the crystallization of wisdom and efforts from tens of thousands of foreign experts.

The premier told the award-winning experts that China would continue the policy of reform and opening up which had been proven to be the correct way of leading the country to prosperity, and which enjoyed its 30th anniversary this year. China will as always adhere to the reform and opening up policy. China’s modernization drive needs participation of talented people from various countries, he said, adding that China sincerely welcomes experts from other countries to help with China’s modernization drive through various means. Wen said governments at all levels would strive to create better working and living conditions for foreign experts in China and protect their legal rights and interests so that they can play their ability to the full and realize their career ideals.

The Friendship Award is the top prize awarded by the Chinese government to foreign experts who make outstanding contributions to China's economic construction and social development. The 50 award receivers of the year 2008 come from 19 nations including Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Cuba, the DPRK, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Poland, the ROK, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Britain and the U.S.. They have been engaged in areas including industry and agriculture, education, scientific research, equipment manufacturing, medical care and public health and engineering. The Chinese government has given the award to 999 foreign experts from 58 countries since 1991.

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang attended the meeting.