Lu Fangzhou (center), deputy mayor of Pudong district, meets the four 2017 Magnolia Award winners in Pudong, Shanghai, on Sept 6, 2017. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Four foreigners recommended by the Shanghai Pudong New Area government received the 2017 Magnolia Award on Sept 6, in recognition of their special contributions to economic and cultural industries in the city.

The winners of the award are General Manager of Shanghai New International Expo Centre Michael Kruppe, President of Carl Zeiss (Shanghai) Co Maximilian Josef Helmut Foerst, Professor of the Literature Department at the Beppu University Nobuharu Arakane, and General Manager of the Business Development Department of IHI (Shanghai) Management Co Koji Toda.

Lu Fangzhou, deputy mayor of Pudong, expressed gratitude to the four winners for their efforts in Shanghai.

"The four winners are all leaders in their fields and have made significant contributions in supporting Pudong's development," Lu said. "We hope they can advise us on how to support the new round of development in the upcoming years.

"We will continue to enhance the living and business environment in Pudong to attract more foreign professionals and projects to the district."

Lu said Pudong, established in 1990, has become a major gathering place for foreign businesses over the past 27 years. Businesses from 154 countries and regions have launched operations in the region.

The district is home to over 300 Fortune 500 companies. The average GDP per capita reached $20,000 during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2010-15) period.

"We hope to boost average GDP per capita to $30,000 during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period," Lu said.

This year, a total of 50 foreigners received the 2017 Magnolia Award in Shanghai.

"On behalf of the 50 winners today, I would like to say: Shanghai, we love you! China, we love you!" said Kruppe, when giving a speech on behalf of all 50 award winners.

"The magnolia is the city flower of Shanghai. It symbolizes pure friendship and experiences, which raise the city and make it so successful all over the world," said Krupp. "Today is not the end. Today is the start for all of us to create and contribute our wisdom to the further success of Shanghai."

The four winners from Pudong have vowed to strengthen their commitment to supporting Shanghai's economic development and international communication.

Foerst said Carl Zeiss will continue to expand in China. The company is considering expanding its innovation center in Shanghai to support its digitalization strategy.

Toda said he will continue to promote environmental protection by introducing more advanced technologies and bring more support to Shanghai.

Arakane, a 70-year-old professor who has long been promoting cultural communication between China and Japan, said that not only will he continue to strengthen exchanges between the two countries, he will also encourage the younger generations to take forward the work.

The Magnolia Award was first launched in 1989 and has become one of the top awards for foreigners in the city. To date, 1,109 foreigners have received a Magnolia Award.