BEIJING, June 17 (Xinhua) -- A total of 16 foreign authors, translators and publishers from 12 countries have been honored with the Special Book Awards of China, the highest honor in China's publishing industry for foreigners.

The recipients, including Peter K. Bol, author and Charles H. Carswell Professor at Harvard University, were awarded for their special contributions to promoting cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and other countries.

Drawing on their in-depth understanding of China, they have written, translated, or published a number of quality books about the country, enhancing cross-cultural exchanges and contributing to the international community's understanding of China.

Since its inception in 2005, the award has been presented to 219 foreigners from 63 countries.