On September 30, the 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award Ceremony was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin presented the awards to the recipients. Kostas Gouliamos, Honorary and Visiting Professor at the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (UCASS), was awarded the 2024 Chinese Government Friendship Award. He was also invited to attend a reception to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

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. Since its establishment in 1991, this award has been conferred upon 1,998 experts from over 80 countries and regions. In 2024, a total of 100 foreign experts received this honor.

Professor Kostas Gouliamos, former Rector of the European University Cyprus, is an elected Ordinary Member of the European Academy of Science and Arts and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the UK. He also serves as the Cyprus-based Director of the China Research Center co-established by CASS and the European University Cyprus.