On May 18, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China held the First Presentation Ceremony for the Outstanding Diplomat Medal. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, attended the event and delivered remarks.

Wang Yi extended warm congratulations to the award recipients. He noted that diplomatic envoys serve as bridges for friendly exchanges between countries. All the Outstanding Diplomat Medal honorees are our good friends and old friends who have a deep knowledge of China, builders of bilateral relations, pioneers in understanding China, pacesetters in fostering people-to-people bonds, and contributors to mutual benefit. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has established the Outstanding Diplomat Medal to honor ambassadors who have made important contributions to promoting friendship between China and other countries. We welcome Your Excellencies and colleagues to come back to China more often and get together with your old friends.

Wang Yi stated that China is a country that values peace, always meeting its responsibility for world peace and tranquility. China is a country that is open and inclusive, readily sharing its development opportunities with the world. China is a country that acts in good faith, consistently delivering on its commitments despite changing international dynamics. We hope the outstanding diplomats honored today will continue contributing to the friendship between China and the world. Those of you who are incumbent ambassadors can always count on the strong support of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Wang Yi stressed that when tested, heroes show their mettle; through cooperation, the future will get better. China is ready to join hands with all progressive forces to uphold our commitment to peace and development, pursue greater global solidarity, and create a bright future for humanity. Let us carry forward the tradition of friendship, enhance trust and cooperation, and rise above estrangement and conflict. Together, let us build a community with a shared future for humanity and a bright future of peace, security, prosperity, and progress for the world.

Wang Yi presented the Outstanding Diplomat Medal to eight award recipients or their representatives. They are former Russian Ambassador to China Andrey Denisov, former Cambodian Ambassador to China Khek M Caimealy Sysoda, Pakistani Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi, Kazakh Ambassador to China Nuryshev Shakhrat, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to China Abdulrahman Ahmad Al-Harbi, former Ambassador of Chad to China Allamaye Halina, Colombian Ambassador to China Sergio Cabrera, and former Uruguayan Ambassador to China Fernando Lugris.

The award-winning envoys expressed appreciation to the Chinese side for conferring the medals. They noted that the honor represents not only recognition of the envoys themselves, but also affirmation of the high-level bilateral relations between their respective countries and China, demonstrating the spirit of mutual respect, equality, fairness, responsibility, and win-win cooperation embodied in China’s diplomacy. They stated that they will cherish this honor and continue dedicating themselves to deepening friendship with China, expanding mutually beneficial cooperation, enhancing people-to-people bonds, and making new contributions to opening up broader prospects for bilateral relations.

Approximately 300 participants, including diplomatic envoys of various countries and representatives of international organizations in China, as well as Chinese representatives, attended the event.