Thirty-eight firms and people were honored the China Awards 2019 in a ceremony organized by the Italy-China Foundation in Milan on Tuesday.

Now in its 14th edition, the annual event aims at acknowledging Italian and Chinese businesses that have seized the opportunities offered by each other's markets in terms of flows of capitals, people, ideas, goods, and services.

Chinese Ambassador to Italy Li Junhua, Italian Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs Ivan Scalfarotto, and former Italian prime minister Romano Prodi attended the ceremony at Milan's Museum of Science and Technology.

The event overall drew some 300 representatives from Italy's business and industrial environment, according to organizers.

Eight different categories of prizes were awarded.

Overall, some 28 Italian companies, six Chinese companies, and four individuals were awarded for their contribution to the bilateral exchange.

One award specifically addressed some of the Italian public and private participants in the 2nd China Int'l Import Expo (CIIE) held on Nov 5-10 in Shanghai, including the southern region of Apulia and Snam gas utility.

Two special awards were also bestowed during the ceremony, one of which went to the Lishui Sino-Italian Innovation Town, an area devoted to innovation, research, and development, and located in the Lishui district in eastern Jiangsu province in China.