ＣＰＡＦＦＣ Ｄｅｌｅｇａｔｉｏｎ Ｌｅｄ ｂｙ Ｐｒｅｓｉｄｅｎｔ Ｃｈｅｎ Ｈａｏｓｕ Ｖｉｓｉｔｓ Ｌａｏｓ， Ｔｈａｉｌａｎｄ ａｎｄ Ｎｅｐａｌ

At the invitation of the Lao-Chinese Friendship Association (LCFA)， the Thailand-China Friendship Association (TCFA) and Nepal China Executives Council (NCEC)， a CPAFFC delegation led by its President Chen Haosu paid a visit to Laos， Thailand and Nepal from December 12 to 27， 2005.

During the delegation’s stay in Laos， Sisavath Keobounphan， chairman of the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC); Thongloun Sisolit， Lao deputy prime minister; and Pany Yatotu， vice president of the Lao National Assembly， met with the delegation. Xaysomphone Phomvihane， chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly， entertained the delegation. Khamluoan Sitlakone， vice president of the LCFA and vice minister of communication， transport， post and construction， accompanied the delegation throughout the visit.

During the delegation’s visit in Thailand， Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and President of the Thai National Assembly Gen. Bhokin Bhalakula met with the delegation respectively. Princess Ubol Ratana attended the evening banquet hosted by the Chinese ambassador in Thailand in honour of the delegation. Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh， former Thai prime minister and former president of the Thai-Chinese Culture and Economy Association entertained the delegation. Korn Dabbaransi， former Thai deputy prime minister and president of the TCFA， accompanied the delegation throughout the visit. The CPAFFC delegation also took part in the Thai-Chinese Traditional Culture Festivaljointly organized by the CPAFFC and the TCFA and attended the banquet hosted by the TCFA in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and China.

During the delegation’s visit in Nepal， Crown Prince Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev， First Vice Chairman of the Nepalese Council of Ministers Kirtinidhi Bista and Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey met with the delegation respectively. Anoop Ranyan Bhattarai，chairman of the NCEC， accompanied the delegation throughout the visit and held a banquet in its honour. Vice Chairman Bista and Foreign Minister Pandey and many other Nepalese important government officials attended the banquet.

In his meeting with the delegation， LFNC Chairman Sisavath Keobounphan said， the Lao and Chinese people who have forged comradeship and fraternity on the same road of building socialism are strategic partners with common ideals. To further bilateral relationship is in the fundamental interests of the two peoples and conducive to peace and development of the region. He spoke highly of the achievements China had made in the reform and opening up and the role played by the CPAFFC in enhancing friendship between the Chinese and other people and promoting friendly cooperation between China and other countries. CPAFFC President Chen Haosu said， we treasure the traditional friendship between the Chinese and Lao people and will continue to consolidate and develop this traditional friendship in the new century.

Thai Prime Minster Thaksin Shinawatra expressed his congratulation on the success of the activities organized by the CPAFFC and the TCFA in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Thailand-China diplomatic relations. He said， since the establishment of diplomatic relations， Thailand-China relations have witnessed an overall development. The two countries share the same views on international issues， help each other politically， develop economic ties on a mutually beneficial basis and have become close partners of mutual affinity. He thanked the Chinese government and people for their unselfish aid when Thailand was seriously hit by tsunami at the end of 2004. Chen Haosu said， the Chinese people follow the development of Thailand with interest， extend respects to the Thai Government who has led the Thai people to conquer tsunami disasters and rapidly restored economy in just one year， and appreciate the Thai Government’s and people’s consistent support for China’s peaceful reunification. Both sides said that they would continue to make efforts to develop friendly cooperation between the two countries.

In his meeting with the delegation， Nepalese Crown Prince Paras said， both Nepal and China are countries with a long history. The language used in the Northeastern part of Nepal is understandable to people speaking the Tibetan language. The achievements made in the Nepal-China relations in the past 50 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations are satisfactory. Chen Haosu thanked the Nepalese royal family for its support for the development of Nepal-China relations， and said， the CPAFFC is willing to continue to cooperate with the Nepalese royal family， the government and non-governmental organizations to further promote the development of China-Nepal friendly relations. In his meeting with the delegation， First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Bista said， China is Nepal’s most important neighbour. There do not exist any problems between the two countries. At present both governmental and non-governmental relations between the two countries are developing in an all-round way. It can be said that China-Nepal relationship is an example of bilateral relationship. Bista spoke highly of the contributions made by the older generation of diplomats including Premier Zhou Enlai and Marshal Chen Yi to the development of friendly relations between the two countries， and said， the Nepalese people will never forget the Chinese people’s help to them. He also praised the role played by the CPAFFC in promoting friendship between the peoples of the two countries. He said that he had visited China at the invitation of the CPAFFC and experienced the Chinese people’s friendly sentiments toward the Nepalese people. CPAFFC President Chen thanked Bista for his praise of China and said that though he had been in Nepal just for a few days， he experienced the Nepalese people’s friendly feelings toward the Chinese people. He said that the Chinese people would never forget the instructions given by the older generation of revolutionaries， and continue to maintain China-Nepal friendship and seek for a greater development of bilateral relations.