Zhou Xiaochuan, former Governor of the People's Bank of China (PBC), won the UK's 2019 Central Banking Lifetime Achievement Award, according to the website of the Central Banking journal.

The Central Banking Awards were established to recognize outstanding individual and organizational performances in the central banking community.

Zhou played a pivotal role in exchange rate and interest rate liberalization, financial services and capital market reform, and capital account convertibility of renminbi, said a statement on the website.

Zhou is China's longest serving central bank governor since 1949, having held the position from 2002 to 2018. He was also a member of the State Commission for Restructuring the Economic System from 1986 to 1991.