The awarding ceremony of 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on September 30. Gérard Creuzet, a French expert of Beihang University, received this honor and was warmly greeted by State Councilor Shen Yiqin. This is the fifth time a foreign expert from Beihang has been awarded this highest honor granted by China to foreign experts, and the third time a French expert has received this recognition in the past 15 years at the university. Beihang has a long-standing and solid history of collaboration with France, with numerous French experts working at Beihang, contributing passionately to Sino-French higher education cooperation and fostering deep bilateral relations. Their efforts have been recognized by this national accolade.
Gérard Creuzet, born in 1953, is an academician of the French Academy of Technologies, the Director of the Institut Photovoltaïque d'Ile-de-France (IPVF) at Paris-Saclay University, and Co-Chair of the Sino-European Cooperation Committee at Beihang University. He previously served as the Director of International Operations for Groupe des Écoles Centrale, and a member of the Management Committee of the Beihang Sino-French Engineer School. Creuzet has maintained deep ties and a warm friendship with China, serving as a committee member of the Beihang Sino-French Engineer School for over a decade. During this time, he actively traveled between China and France, leveraging his high academic standing and influence in France to introduce French educational and research resources. He played a key role in establishing the Creuzet Laboratory at Beihang, the Sino-French Future City Laboratory, and the Sino-French Carbon Neutrality Joint Laboratory. His efforts have been instrumental in the development of key international cooperation institutions and projects at Beihang, such as the Sino-French Engineer School, the Zhongfa Aviation Institute, and the Hangzhou International Campus. Creuzet has made crucial contributions to promoting research, teaching, and cultural exchanges between China and France, solidifying his role as an ambassador of friendship between the two nations.
In September 2023, during the first International Conference for Training Excellent-Engineers, Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng met with Academician Creuzet
In April 2023, Beihang Party Committee Secretary Zhao Changlu met with Academician Creuzet
Before the awarding ceremony, Creuzet attended the National Day reception upon invitation.
On September 30, CCTV’s Evening News reported on the awarding ceremony, with Creuzet seated third from the right in the second row
Before attending the awarding ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, Academician Creuzet was warmly received by President Wang Yunpeng of Beihang University, who extended his heartfelt congratulations. He noted that the Chinese Government Friendship Award is the highest accolade given to foreign experts in China, and Academician Creuzet is truly deserving of this honor. He praised Academician Creuzet for his long-term dedication and significant contributions to the development of key international cooperation projects at Beihang, and expressed deep gratitude to him on behalf of Beihang University.
The Chinese Government Friendship Award is the highest award established by the Chinese government to recognize foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to China’s modernization and reform and opening-up endeavors. In 2024, a total of 100 foreign experts received this honor.
Academician Creuzet is the fifth foreign expert of Beihang University to receive the Chinese Government Friendship Award. The previous recipients from Beihang include Gendai Eto (1999), James chen yuan Wu (1999), Jean Dorey (2009), and Albert Fert (2017).
Written by: Wan Lina
Reviewed by: Weng Jingnong
Edited by: Jia Aiping
Translated by: Lu Meili
