
A CPAFFC delegation led by its vice president Su Guang paid a goodwill visit to Austria, Switzerland and Germany from August 13 to 22, 2003 at the invitation of the Austrian Association for Promotion of Friendship and Cultural Relations with China (AAPFCRC), the Swiss- Chinese Association and the Association of German-Chinese Friendship Stuttgart.
In Austria, Hans Ager, president of the Federal Council and board member of the AAPFCRC, and his family had a get-together with the delegation. Walter Strutzenberger, president of the AAPFCRC and former vice president of the Federal Council, gave a banquet in honour of the delegation on the following day of the delegation's arrival in Vienna. It was a happy occasion for the old friends to meet again. President Struzenberger extended congratulations on China's victory over SARS and expressed his thanks for CPAFFC President Chen Haosu's message of congratulations on his 75th birthday. He said, the AAPFCRC and the CPAFFC have had friendly cooperation for more than 30 years and made unremitting efforts to promote friendship between the two countries and the two peoples. He has visited China many times and is a witness to China's rapid progress and development. AAPFCRC Vice President Gerd Kaminski has made important contributions to promoting friendship between Austria and China, for which the AAPFCRC decided to award him PAN-Preis. Su Guang wished Strutzenberger good health and a long life and expressed congratulations to Kaminski for winning the award. He also spoke about the successful visit to China last April by Anna E. Haselbach, board member of the AAPFCRC and vice president of the Austrian Federal Council, despite of the threat of SARS and the successful holding of the Exhibition on the Life of Dr. Jacob Rosenfeld, A Great Austrian Internationalist Fighter by the two associations. Chinese leaders attached great importance to this activity. Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a message of congratulations on publication of the book The Diary of Rosenfeld in China. Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, met with the delegation.

At his hometown Itter in the Austrian Alps, Federal Council President Hans Ager, his wife and his two sons got together with the delegation. The local folk music band, attired in their national costumes, welcomed the delegation in a unique way. President Ager recalled happily his visit to China together with Ludwig Bieringer, former president of the Austrian Federal Council. He said that their visit had deepened his understanding of China and that he got positive responses from other members of the Federal Council when he told them about China's development and progress upon his return. Also present on the occasion was Mr. Burger, vice president and CEO of the Austrian Airlines, who had experienced the warm hospitality of the CPAFFC. He said that people-to-people friendship was very important and that he would contribute to building the bridge of friendship with his deeds.
In Switzerland, Elmar Ledergerber, the new mayor of Zurich, met with and entertained the delegation. The delegation also exchanged views and reached consensus on the further strengthening of cooperation between Chinese-Swiss friendship cities and exchanges among nongovernmental friendship organizations with Thomas Wagner, president of the Swiss-Chinese Association, Renee Henry-Michaud, president of Connaissance de la Chine Lausanne, and Rene Pfiffer, president of the Vaud-Shaanxi Association.
At the above meetings, Mayor Elmar Ledergerber thanked the CPAFFC for its care and support given to the friendly exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese and Swiss localities. He said, the more than 20 years of exchanges and cooperation between the friendship cities of Zurich and Kunming have enhanced mutual understanding and friendship and promoted the common prosperity of the two cities. Now, the architects of Zurich have won the bid to design the Wukesong sports and cultural center for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which adds new contents to our cooperation. We must strengthen cooperation in the economic, cultural, social, urban construction and other areas in the future. Connaissance de la Chine and the Vaud-Shaanxi Association jointly held a banquet to welcome the delegation. In their speeches President Renee Henry-Michaud and President Rene Pfiffer talked about the work done by their respective organizations in recent years to advance friendship between Switzerland and China and expressed their friendly sentiments for the Chinese people. They said that the hearts of our Swiss friends were laden with worries and concern when SARS epidemic hit China and that they were so happy when China put the epidemic under control. Their hearts and feelings have converged with those of the Chinese people.
While in Switzerland, the delegation visited the public transport bureau and the traffic control centre of Zurich, the Zurich scientific and technological park and relevant high-tech companies, Credit Swiss Group and Zurich Financial Services, and called on an old Chinese friend Countess Christina Podewills.
During the delegation's brief visit to Germany, Su Guang met with leading members of the friendship-with-China organization including the Stuttgart, Mainz, Ulm, Ludwigshafen and Donnersberg Germany-China Friendship Associations and the Association for Gemany-China Forum, and exchanged views on further strengthening cooperation with German local friendship organizations to advance Sino-German people-to-people friendship and cooperation, and called on Count and Countess von Borries, Karl-Heinz Gass and other friends.