MUSCAT, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Oman's Sultan Qaboos Bin Said on Sunday awarded a first class medal to former Chinese Ambassador to Oman Yu Fulong.

An official statement of the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the medal was given to the Chinese ambassador in appreciation of his efforts in serving the good relations between the two friendly countries.

The statement added that Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud al Busaidi, secretary-general of the Omani Foreign Ministry, handed the medal to Yu during a meeting at the Omani embassy in Beijing.

China and Oman have strong trade and economic relations. China is the largest importer of Omani oil.

At the end of 2016, the volume of Chinese investment in the Sultanate reached about two billion U.S. dollars, while the volume of the bilateral trade reached 17.2 billion dollars.

Moreover, in 2016, Omani oil exports to China reached 237 million barrels, which accounts for 77 percent of its total oil exports, and 10 percent of Chinese oil imports.