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CPAFFC Delegation Visits U.S. and Canada

From June 24 to July 2， 2006， the World Peace Forum was jointly held in Vancouver by the Vancouver municipal government， and a number of local nongovernmental organizations. CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin and her party attended the forum at invitation， and spoke on “Sino-Japanese relations and postwar reconciliation” at the group discussion on “reconciliation and peace in north-eastern Asia” of the Asia Regional Conference.

The theme of the forum was “a journey to peace”， aiming at reducing the threat of war and building a world of peace， justice and sustainable development through cooperation between governments and nongovernmental organizations of all countries. Over 4，000 representatives of scores of countries were present. The forum included the mayors round-table conference， the Asia Regional Conference and the academic conference.

At the Asia Regional Conference， Chinese attorney Kang Jian made a keynote speech on the Chinese war victims’ lawsuits seeking compensation from the Japanese government and the Japanese corporations involved. She said， during the 15-year’s Japanese aggression against China， Japanese invaders committed numerous crimes in China. The Japanese troops cruelly slaughtered non-combatant persons， leaving the Chinese people unforgettable painful memories. However， the Japanese government and the Japanese corporations involved tried to shirk their war responsibilities by fabricating information， destroying evidence and finding excuses such as “the time limits for filing claims have expired a long time ago”， and set obstructions by every means to prevent Chinese attorneys conducting court defense for Chinese WWII victims.

In group discussions， Vice President Li Xiaolin explained China’s position on the question of reconciliation after WWII and briefed about efforts made by the CPAFFC to promote the Sino-Japanese relations and safeguard world peace. She said， the CPAFFC， as a non-governmental organization focusing on the people-to-people diplomacy， has always aimed at safeguarding world peace and promoting common development， and made its contributions to maintaining world peace. Talking about “China threat”， a concern of many delegates from various countries， she said， the Chinese people have suffered greatly from wars and therefore， cherish the hard-earned peace more than anything else. China will definitely take the road of peaceful development. The most urgent and realistic task facing China is to concentrate all its energy and resources on the economic development and continuous improvement of people’s living standards. Therefore， China needs a peaceful international environment. The choice of the road of peaceful development also conforms with the Chinese people’s love and the pursuit of peace. China will not pose any threat to any country even if it becomes strong in future. (Ma Hairong)

Delegation of Municipal Council of Kuwait Visits China

At the invitation of the CPAFFC， Chairman Abdulrahman Al-Humaidan led the delegation of the Municipal Council of Kuwait to pay a goodwill visit to China from July 2 to 8. It is the first time that the CPAFFC established contact with a national organization of Kuwait and began exchanges.

Tomur Dawamat， president of the China-Arab Friendship Association， and Jing Dunquan， vice president of the CPAFFC， met with the delegation. The delegation paid a visit to the Beijing Municipal Administration Commission. Wang Xinkui， vice chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the CPPCC， met with the delegation. They also called on the Shanghai Municipal Public Works Administration and visited the Nanhui District， where they saw a model of the East China Sea Bridge and the Lingang New City， and the Shanghai Expressway Control Centre. The delegation expressed their admiration and appreciation of the great achievements made by the Chinese people since reform and opening-up， and hoped to have cooperation with China.

Delegation of Central Municipal Council of Qatar Visits China

At the invitation of the CPAFFC， the delegation of the Central Municipal Council of Qatar led by its vice chairman Essa Al-Kuwari paid a goodwill visit to China from July 6 to 12， 2006.

CPAFFC President Chen Haosu and Vice Chairperson Xie Lijuan of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the CPPCC met with the delegation respectively. The delegation paid a visit to the Pudong New Area People’s Government and had discussions with some department leaders. In Guangzhou， Xu Ruisheng， vice mayor of the city， met with the delegation and briefed about the preparations for the 2010 Asian Games. The delegation visited many sports centres and stadiums there. While conveying their admiration and appreciation of the great achievements made by the country， on various occasions they expressed their hope to have cooperation with China.

Attending SCI’s 50th Anniversary Conference

At the invitation of the Sister Cities International (SCI) of the U. S.， Vice President Liu Zhiming led the CPAFFC delegation to Washington D.C. to attend the 50th Anniversary Conference of SCI from July 13 to 14. The delegation included municipal government representatives from Shenyang， Suzhou， Taicang， Huzhou and Changxing.

Founded in 1956 by former U.S. president Dwight Eisenhower， the Sister Cities International is a nationwide organization of states， cities and counties of the U.S.. It has about 2，000 group members in the U.S. and has helped American cities establish sister-city relations with more than 2，500 cities of 132 countries in the world. The year 2006 marks its 50th anniversary of establishment and more than 1，400 representatives of 39 countries attended the conference， among whom there were over 100 mayors and high-ranking government officials. Sherman Banks， president of SCI， Antony Williams， mayor of Washington D.C.， Mary Eisenhower， granddaughter of former president Dwight Eisenhower， Richard Lugar， federal senator， Jim Kolbe and Bernie Sanders， congressmen， and Dina Habib Powell， assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs were present at the conference and made speeches.

The conference also included the Mayor's Forum， the National Summit on Citizen Diplomacy Workshops and the International Youth Summit on Global Citizenship and cited some excellent programmes and city members. Jiujiang city of Jiangxi Province， China， and its twin city Louisville， Kentucky both won the Innovation Award for Sustainable Development. Madame Mae Ferguson was elected the chairwoman of the Board of SCI during the conference. (Duan Jun)

China-Brunei Friendship Association Delegation Visits Brunei

At the invitation of the Brunei-China Friendship Association (BCFA)， Liu Xinsheng， vice president of the China-Brunei Friendship Association (CBFA) and former Chinese ambassador to Brunei， and his party paid a goodwill visit to Brunei from July 16 to 21. This was the first visit by the CBFA since its founding. The delegation held meetings with the BCFA， and communicated with the Bruneian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry. They met with Princess Hajah Masna， ambassador-at-large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade， and Lin Yucheng， vice foreign minister. The delegation visited the University of Brunei Darussalam， the museum of history and the royal exhibition hall， and toured the Water Village.

Latin-American Organization of Governors Delegation Visits China

Headed by President Luis Guastavino Cordoba， the friendship delegation of the Latin-American Organization of Governors visited Beijing， Guangzhou and Shenzhen from July 22 to 28. Cheng Siwei， vice-chairman of the NPC Standing Committee， and Huang Huahua， governor of Guangdong met with the delegation. In Guangzhou， they attended the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

The Latin-American Organization of Governors is an interregional organization in Latin-America， which aims at strengthening links and cooperation among over 300 provinces， states and regions. In Beijing， CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin and President Cordoba signed a letter of intent， and agreed to carry out further discussions on a cooperation agreement， and plan cooperative programmes up to 2010.

Illinois State Representatives Delegation Visits China

From July 29 to August 9， Illinois State Representative Susana A. Mendoza of the U.S. led a delegation of 15 State Representatives to China and visited Beijing， Guilin， Guangzhou and Shanghai. The delegation met with Zhai Jingmin， vice president of the Beijing Higher People’s Court， Wang Xiangbai， vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Guilin Municipal People’s Congress， and Zhou Muyao， vice chairman of the Standing Committee of Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress.

Azerbaijani Modern Musavat Party President Visits China

At the invitation of the CPAFFC， Hafiz Hajiev， president of the Azerbaijani Modern Musavat Party， visited China from August 12 to 18.

Founded in 2001， the Azerbaijani Modern Musavat Party is a constructive party in opposition with 90，000 members. President Hajiev has always paid close attention to the progress of China’s reform and opening-up. CPAFFC President Chen Haosu met with and entertained Hajiev， while briefing him on the CPAFFC’s exchanges with other countries and expressing the hope of expanding exchanges with Azerbaijani organizations. Chen Fengxiang， vice minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee， also met with President Hajiev.

Attending PTPI 2006Worldwide Conference

At the invitation of People to People International (PTPI)， U.S.， the CPAFFC Working Group led by its vice president Li Xiaolin attended PTPI’s 50th Anniversary Celebration and the 17th Worldwide Conference in Sidney of Australia from August 23 to 26. Over 300 members and representatives from 25 countries and regions were present at the conference. Mary Jean Eisenhower， president and CEO of PTPI， Joseph Patterson， chairman of the Board of Directors， Anita Manuel， chairwoman of the Board of Trustees and John Anderson， former prime minister of Australia， attended the opening ceremony and made speeches. As a special guest， Vice President Li Xiaolin delivered a speech. Since its founding in 1956， the organization has had tens of thousands of members at the peak and set up branch organizations in more than 50 countries. With several influential programmes， such as the Adult and Youth Ambassador Programme， the Global Youth Forum， the Peace Camp and the Education and Humanitarian Projects， each year PTPI organizes over 30，000 people to participate in various forums and travel all around the world， so as to further their members’ understanding of the local culture and help them forge friendship with the local residents， promoting world peace.

In her speech， Li Xiaolin specially briefed about the history of cooperation between the CPAFFC and PTPI， the progress of projects and the work of the CPAFFC for developing people-to-people diplomacy and promoting world peace.

58th National Day of DPRK Celebrated

The CPAFFC and the China-Korea Friendship Association (CKFA) jointly held a reception on September 8 to celebrate the 58th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). CKFA President Li Shuzheng， CPAFFC Vice President Wang Yunze， Korean Ambassador Choe Jin Su， leading members of relevant departments of various ministries and diplomats of the DPRK Embassy in China were presented at the reception. President Li Shuzheng and Ambassador Choe Jin Su delivered speeches.

“Sound of Peace” Bell Ringing Ceremony on U.N. World Peace Day Held

On the morning of September 21， the U.N. World Peace Day， the “Sound of Peace” Bell Ringing Ceremony with the theme of safeguarding world peace， building harmonious world together was held at the CPAFFC. Abdul’ahat Abdulrixit， vice-chairman of the CPPCC National Committee， Vu Xuan Hong， chairman of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations， Yasuyuki Aoshima， representative of UNESCO Beijing Office and diplomats of more than 20 countries attended the ceremony.

In his speech， Vice Chairman Abdul’ahat said， today complicated and deepgoing changes are continuing to take place in the international situation， obviously increasing unstable elements， yet peace and development remain the overriding issues of our times. It is a hard and time-consuming task to realize lasting international peace and build up a harmonious world. He hoped that， peoples of all countries would unite closely， sum up the past experience and look into the future， enhance communication and cooperation and promote friendship and mutual trust so as to build a peaceful and beautiful future for mankind.

In his speech， President Chen Haosu said， friendship and peace are the two important themes of the work of the CPAFFC. We would unite with friends all over the world and make continuous effort to realize world peace. Let the bell ring for peace every year.

Chairman Vu Xuan Hong and Representative Yasuyuki Aoshima made speeches on cherishing and loving world peace， building beautiful future together.

The year 2006 marks the 61st anniversary of the founding of the U.N.. The Chinese and foreign representatives who were present at the ceremony rang the bell 61 times together， expressing the peace-loving Chinese people’s hope to build a harmonious world together with all people around the world. The Alumni Chorus of the Military Engineering Institute of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and the Student Chorus of Beijing No. 55 Middle School sang well-known Chinese and foreign songs for peace and friendship.

The “Sound of Peace” Bell Ringing Ceremony was presided over by CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin. Present were CPAFFC Vice President Jing Dunquan and Secretary General Luo Qin， representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League， the China Disabled Persons’ Federation， etc.， personages of various social circles， representatives of friendship associations and council members of the CPAFFC. (Li Hai)

Celebration of 10th Anniversary of China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development Held

On the afternoon of September 21， the CPAFFC and the China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development (CFFPD) held celebration of the 10th anniversary of the CFFPD at the Great Hall of the People， with the theme of safeguarding world peace and building harmonious society. Gu Xiulian， vice chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee， Xu Kuangdi， vice president of the CPPCC National Committee， Chen Haosu， president of the CPAFFC， Yang Yue， deputy director of the NGO Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Civil Affairs， Li Xiaolin and Jing Dunquan， vice presidents of the CPAFFC and representatives from all social circles at home and abroad， totaling 280 people， attended the celebration.

The celebration was presided over by Vice President Li Xiaolin. President Chen Haosu made a speech and CFFPD Secretary General Xia Guozhu delivered the work report. At the celebration， friendly organizations’ representatives and personages from Japan， the U.S.， Germany， the Republic of Korea， Singapore and the United Arab Emirates， transnational corporations and organizations and individuals of Hongkong and China’s mainland， totaling about 30， were given the Peace and Development Contribution Awards. The award was jointly established by the CPAFFC and the CFFPD in recognition of those who have made outstanding contributions to the foundation.

Reception Marking 57th Anniversary of Diplomatic Ties Between China and Russia

On September 27， the CPAFFC and the China-Russia Friendship Association (CRFA) held a reception at the Great Hall of the People to celebrate the 57th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia. State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan， Vice Cultural Minister Meng Xiaosi， Assistant Foreign Minister Zhai Jun， Assistant Minister of Commerce Huang Hai， CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin and CRFA Vice Presidents Liu Shu， Zhu Jiamu and Wang Fengxiang were present at the reception. Russian Ambassador to China Sergei Razov and other diplomats of the Russian Embassy， representatives of Russian companies and students in Beijing and personages of all circles of the capital， totaling 200 attended the reception. Vice President Li Xiaolin and Ambassador Razov delivered speeches.