On 8th June 2018, President Xi Jinping awarded his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin with the first-ever Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China. The ceremony was held at the Great Hall of the People in the Chinese capital, Beijing.

According to The Law of the People's Republic of China on National Medals and National Honorary Titles adopted on 27th December 2015, Friendship Medals, the highest state honor for foreigners, are presented to foreign friends who have made outstanding contributions to China's socialist modernization drive, promoted exchanges and cooperation between China and the world, and safeguarded world peace.

Headed by Sun Jisheng, vice-president of China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU), a total of 60 representatives (including both teachers and students) from CFAU attended the award ceremony and witnessed the historic occasion. Our teacher delegation was composed of Wang Shengqian, Director of the Division of Students’ Affairs of CFAU, and Wang Huadi, Secretary of the Communist Youth League Committee of CFAU, and three other teachers. 

The students who attended the ceremony said that they were honored to be given a chance to witness such a big international event. In the future, they are determined to follow the school motto better and work harder to make more contributions to major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era.