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On the evening of October 9, the CPAFFC held a grand ceremony to confer the honorary title of Friendship Ambassador upon Dr. Helmut Sohmen, honorary president of the Austria- China Friendship Association (ACFA) and chairman of the BW Shipping Group Ltd.

Lu Yongxiang, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the NPC, He Luli, former vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of the NPC and honorary president of the China-EU Association, Chen Haosu, president of the CPAFFC, Zhang Guobao, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission and head of the National Energy Administration, Wang Shu, former Chinese ambassador to Austria, Dr. Martin Sajdik, Austrian ambassador to China, Mr. Svein Ole Saether, Norwegian ambassador to China, among about 70 people, attended the ceremony.

The title of Friendship Ambassador was first conferred in 1990 toforeign friends in recognition of theirsignificant contributions to promoting the bilateral relations between China and their countries and the people-to-people friendship. Up to now, the title has been given to more than 70 personages, among whom are Juan Antonio Samaranch, honorary president for life of the International Olympic Committee, Joseph Needham, the famous British scholar, and Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand.

Born in the city of Linz of Austria, Dr. Sohmen is well- known in the economic circles of the world, and now the honorary president of the ACFA and chairman of the BW Shipping Group Ltd. He has served as chairman of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce, general director of Dragon Air, chairman of International Maritime Industries Forum in London, and adviser to the Austrian government. Dr. Sohmen is married to Anna Pao (daughter of the well-known Hong Kong entrepreneur Pao Yue-kong), and thus forged an indissoluble bond with China.

In 1988, Dr. Sohmen established the Sohmen Eastasia Foundation to help the young Austrian entrepreneurs and scholars understand China. In 1992, he established the Sohmen China Foundation for inviting Chinese delegations to Austria every year. In the same year, he became the honorary president of the ACFA and then vigorously dedicated to the cause of friendship with China.

Dr. Sohmen financed and attended several symposiums on relations between China and Austria, including the Austria- China Economic Symposium in 1995, the Harmonious Society and Human Rights Symposium in 2007. In 2006 the ACFA held a series of China Year activities in Austria, he funded many programmes of the series. He attached great importance to the youth exchanges, inviting the children of the Qiqihar SOS Childrens Village of China to perform in Austria, sponsoring the visit to Austria by the Beijing middle school student winners in the Knowledge Contest About Austria, and setting up a scholarship for Chinese students to study abroad.

To explore the life of Dr. Jakob Rosenfeld and commemorate this great international humanitarian and symbol of friendship between China and Austria, Dr. Sohmen squeezed time out of his tight schedule and attended several commemoration activities including the Exhibition in Commemoration of the Centennial of the Birth of Dr. Jakob Rosenfeld held in the National Museum of China in 2003. The bronze statue of Dr. Jakob Rosenfeld in the Hospital of Graz, Austria was built with his donation.