Visiting Austrian Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel Wednesday conferred a great golden medal of honor on Wan Jifei, chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), the first such honor for a Chinese.

At the awarding ceremony held in the Austrian embassy in Beijing, Schuessel, on behalf of Austrian Federal President Heinz Fischer, conferred the medal and praised Wan and his council for their sound contribution to Austria-China economic and trade ties, as well as to the cooperation between enterprises and commercial chambers of the two nations.

Austria hopes to further cooperation with China in all sectors with a focus on energy, environmental protection and agriculture, Schuessel said.

Wan said the medal was not only a recognition of his work in promoting China-Austria trade cooperation, but also a reward to the outstanding cooperation between the CCPIT and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.

"The medal is also a symbol of the profound friendship between our two countries," said Wan, adding that China was ready to make joint efforts with Austria to explore new areas of cooperation.

The medal, the highest honor for foreign business figures in Austria, is usually conferred on chairmen of foreign chambers of commerce or those who have scored special achievements in the business sector.

More than 50 guests from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the CCPIT, the local business society and the Austrian embassy in China were present on the occasion.

Source: Xinhua