Nine companies and organizations including BOE Technology Group Co Ltd, Midea Group CO Ltd, Fuyao Glass Industry Group Co Ltd and Bosch Auto Parts (Suzhou) Co Ltd have been awarded the China Quality Award, the highest honor in the country's quality field, by the State Administration for Market Regulation. 

The award was created in 2012 and is held every two years. The regulator formed the award committee this year with relevant government departments and including the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology. 

The honor aims to promote scientific quality management systems, improve quality management innovation, and encourage and guide the whole society to continuously improve quality in the country, said the administration.

It is the first time that foreign-invested companies have participated in the competition and have been awarded. Also, half of the awarded companies are privately owned or of mixed ownerships. 696 organizations and 168 individuals took part of the selection.

Teng Hoe Chua, consul general of Singapore in Shanghai, speaking at his first China Quality Conference, which was held between Sept 16 and 17 in Hangzhou, said he visited a number of companies including H3C and Geely.

"They are successful examples of Chinese brands going international," he said. "Their success reflects the China's successful transformation in the area of economic transformation, moving from made-in-China to created-in-China, as well as from China products to China brands. I'm confident that in the coming years, I will get to see more Chinese companies creating more global Chinese brands."

He said quality and standards will be a key area for Singapore and China to cooperate, especially in new emerging areas such as digital economy, green and sustainable growth, smart manufacturing and renewable energy. 

Ann Derwin, ambassador of Ireland to China, said she is really interested in the potential for international cooperation in the quality area.

"Both Ireland and China support the international rule-based trading system. In order to reduce trade friction, the standardization or the achievements, the harmonization of quality standards is something that we both support," said the ambassador. "I think with the economic growth, we both are concentrating on goods and services."