On 28 September, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the festive ceremony of awarding the laureates of the Friendship Award of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) took place.

Director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Grigory Trubnikov was honoured with a prestigious award of the People’s Republic of China. He was given an award for his contribution to the development of scientific cooperation between JINR and Chinese research centres in superconducting technologies, nuclear physics facilities, and nuclear medicine.

“It is a great honour for me to be among the laureates of the Friendship Award of the People’s Republic of China. I am very pleased that our joint work with the Institute of Plasma Physics, the Institute of Modern Physics, and the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has been awarded such a high honour. I think this award also enhances our mutual confidence and trust in further strengthening the ties of scientific and technical cooperation between JINR, Russia, and China. This award is a recognition of friendship, a high appreciation of cooperation, and the dialogue that the modern world needs,” Grigory Trubnikov commented on the conferring of the award.

At the end of the ceremony, a state reception was organized to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. The event is traditionally attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

A day earlier in Beijing, the laureates were received by the PRC Minister for Human Resources and Social Security.

The Friendship Award was established in 1991. It is the highest honour established by the Chinese government for foreign leaders who have made outstanding contribution to the country’s economy and social progress.

The award presentation is traditionally timed to coincide with the celebration of the National Day of the People’s Republic of China (1 October).