Ｃｏｎｆｅｒｅｎｃｅ ｏｎ Ｃｈｉｎａ－ＡＳＥＡＮ Ｐｅｏｐｌｅ－ｔｏ－Ｐｅｏｐｌｅ Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓｈｉｐ Ｏｒｇａｎｉｚａｔｉｏｎｓ Ｈｅｌｄ ｉｎ Ｂｅｉｊｉｎｇ

On May 17， 2006 the first Conference on China-ASEAN People-to-People Friendship Organizations sponsored by the CPAFFC was held in Beijing. About 100 representatives from Chinese and ASEAN people-to-people friendship organizations and relevant departments attended it. The conference with the theme of “strengthening cooperation and achieving common prosperity” summed up practical experience got by the Chinese and ASEAN people-to-people friendship organizations over the years， discussed how to deepen China-ASEAN strategic partnership from the nongovernmental angle and set up 10+1 nongovernmental cooperation mechanism， making the conference an important platform for strengthening dialogues and cooperation between Chinese and ASEAN people-to-people friendship organizations. On the evening of that day the representatives of the Chinese and 10 ASEAN countries’ friendship organizations signed the Declaration on China-ASEAN People-to-People Friendship and Cooperation at the Great Hall of the People， starting up an all-round multilateral nongovernmental friendly cooperation between China and ASEAN.

Various Sides Attach Great Importance

to the Convening of the Conference

Over the years， contacts between the CPAFFC and the ASEAN countries’ friendship organizations have been mostly bilateral. The founding of the China-ASEAN Association in August 2004 provided conditions for carrying out multilateral activities. This year the first Conference on China-ASEAN People-to-People Friendship Organizations sponsored by the CPAFFC and the China-ASEAN Association is one of the activities in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN dialogue relations and the Year of China-ASEAN Friendship and Cooperation. Gu Xiulian， vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and president of the China-ASEAN Association， attended the conference.Representatives of the 10 ASEAN countries’ friendship organizations gathered in Beijing. ASEAN countries’ ambassadors to China attached great importance to the conference. Ambassadors of seven ASEAN countries took part in the main activities of the conference. More than 20 leading members of the Chinese local friendship organizations specially came to Beijing to attend the conference. NPC Standing Committee Vice-chairperson Gu Xiulian， CPAFFC President Chen Haosu， Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui and Thai Ambassador to China and Chairman of the ASEAN Committee Beijing Jullapong Nonsrichai made speeches at the conference.

Mutual Understanding Promoted

The aim of all the friendship organizations of ASEAN countries that attended the conference was to strengthen friendly relations and mutual understanding with the Chinese people and promote cooperation in various fields between the people of their countries and China. Hence， the friendship organizations shared extensive common grounds and needed to enhance mutual understanding among them. One of the aims of this conference was to provide opportunities for ASEAN friendship organizations to know one another and exchange experience. Among the friendship organizations present at the conference there were old friends who had made outstanding contributions to promoting the cause of people-to-people friendship over the past half century as well as new organizations that were founded only one year before. At the conference representatives of various friendship organizations briefed about the founding and development of their organizations and bilateral exchanges they had carried out with their Chinese counterparts. Wang Yunze， executive vice president of the China-ASEAN Association， by audio-visual aids， briefed about the exchanges made by the CPAFFC and the China-ASEAN Association with various friendship organizations of the ASEAN countries in the past many years. After listening to the briefing， the representatives showed their admiration for the associations and personages that had made unremitting efforts to promote the cause of people-to-people friendship in the past several decades including the Association for Philippines-China Understanding， the Thai-Chinese Friendship Association and Dr. Sukamdani Sahid Gitosardjono， president of the Association of Indonesia-China Economic， Social and Cultural Cooperation， came to know more about such organizations as the Union Solidarity and Development Association of the Union of Myanmar that had seldom appeared on international public occasions and placed sincere hope on new organizations such as the China-ASEAN Association and the Brunei-China Friendship Association. The representatives of friendship organizations of various ASEAN countries talked with one another cordially during the breaks of the meetings or dinners and established good bilateral relations. At the conference old and new friends happily gathered together， clearly showing the vitality of the friendship organizations， just as what Korn Thapparansi， president of the Thai-Chinese Friendship Association and former deputy prime minister， said in his speech at the conference: “Today the representatives of Chinese and ASEAN countries’ people-to-people friendship organizations unprecedentedly sit together to discuss important matters， turning a new page of the history of China-ASEAN relations.”

Friendly Cooperation Enhanced

The representatives thoroughly exchanged their views on how people-to-people friendship organizations can play within the framework of China-ASEAN strategic partnership a greater role in promoting political mutual trust， strengthening economic and cultural exchanges and supporting cooperation between localities and reached the following consensus:

They spoke highly of the achievements China had made in conducting dialogues with the ASEAN in the past 15 years and hoped to further strengthen contacts between China and the ASEAN in the political， economic and security fields.

The nongovernmental channel is an effective supplement to the governmental channel. People-to-people exchanges and cooperation have become an important component of China-ASEAN relations. Friendship organizations should give full play to their advantages and influence， actively support China’s and ASEAN official diplomacy and follow the generally recognized principles governing international relations and from the nongovernmental angle push forward the development of China-ASEAN strategic partnership orientated to peace and prosperity. Korn Thapparansi happily recalled what Premier Zhou Enlai said at the time when Thailand and China established diplomatic relations “Now that we have established governmental channels， we still need nongovernmental channels to develop bilateral relations.” Tint Zaw， director general of the Department of Education of the Union Solidarity and Development Association of the Union of Myanmar，said， as we are now in the new era， we need a new way to cope with challenges， and nongovernmental cooperation is a unique means to strengthen cooperation between countries. Dr. Tan Kah Hock， secretary general of the Brunei-China Friendship Association， proposed that friendship organizations of various ASEAN countries should form an alliance as a counterpart of the China-ASEAN Association.

The 10+1 nongovernmental cooperation mechanism has been set up. The Conference on China-ASEAN People-to-People Friendship Organizations will be held regularly every year.Through bilateral exchanges between China and the ASEAN countries， mass cultural activities will be held to promote economic， trade， investment and legal cooperation. Dr. Sukamdani said that cultural exchange that covers wide fields， and is not confined by national boundaries and complementary to economic and trade cooperation is the goal that all friendship organizations pursue. Dato’ Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan， president of the Malaysia-China Friendship Association and former Malaysian ambassador to China， proposed that mutual trust between the ASEAN and China should be promoted by following the relevant content of the Report of the ASEAN-China Eminent Persons Group and through economic， trade， investment， tourist， educational and cultural cooperation. The representatives of the relevant departments of the ASEAN countries said that they would cooperate closely with the Chinese side and provide necessary assistance and convenience for the China-ASEAN Friendship Tour to be held at the end of this year. Secretary–General of the Brunei-China Friendship Association said that it is willing to sponsor the Conference on China-ASEAN People-to-People Friendship Organizations in 2007.

Signing Declaration on China-ASEAN

People-to-People Friendship and Cooperation

Witnessed by CPAFFC President Chen Haosu and ASEAN countries’ ambassadors to China， Gu Xiulian， vice-chairperson of the Standing Committee of the NPC and president of the China-ASEAN Association， and the representatives of the friendship organizations of ten ASEAN countries signed the Declaration on China-ASEAN People-to-People Friendship and Cooperation at the Great Hall of the People on the evening of May 17， expressing that they would sincerely cooperate and make concerted efforts to create a friendly， united and peaceful region. In her speech Gu Xiulian said， the conference is a milestone of the cause of China-ASEAN people-to-people friendship， and the Declaration expresses the aspiration of all the friendship organizations and will further increase the cohesion of the Chinese and ASEAN friendship organizations. She hoped that all the friendship organizations would give full play to their own advantages in the nongovernmental diplomatic arena and push the cause of China-ASEAN friendship to a new peak.