On 30 September I was honoured to receive the Chinese Government Friendship Award - this is China's highest award for foreign experts working in China. In 2023 I also received the Special Book Award of China – this is China’s highest prize for foreign writers on China. Despite the very different routes each country must take to socialism their common aspiration to achieve it makes them able to very well understand each other – that is my conclusion from many more than 30 years of studying and writing on China!