Three foreign scientists have won the 2004 Award for International Scientific and Technological Cooperation issued by the Chinese government, government sources said Wednesday.

The Ministry of Science and Technology Wednesday released the names of the three winners. They are Kenneth W. Gentle, Richard Chang and Kenji Ekuan.

According to the ministry, Kenneth W. Gentle has done a lot of work to promote cooperation between China and the United States in the research on nuclear fusion.

Richard Chang established the Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation in Shanghai in 2000, which introduced state-of-the-art integrated circuit manufacturing equipment and advanced technology to China.

Kenji Ekuan, an industrial designer, established an industrial design company in cooperation with China's Haier Group in 1994. The joint venture has introduced advanced design style and strategy to Haier Group, which has helped Haier Group smoothly diversify from household electrical appliances into information industry.

The 10-year-old award, which aims to honor outstanding contributions to China's scientific and technological progress and scientific and technological cooperation and exchanges between China and other countries, has so far been granted to 40 foreign experts.