Ｃｈｉｎｅｓｅ Ｌｏｃａｌ Ｆｒｉｅｎｄｓｈｉｐ Ｄｅｌｅｇａｔｉｏｎ Ｖｉｓｉｔｓ Ｉｎｄｉａ ａｎｄ Ｅｇｙｐｔ

At the Invitation of the Indian Association of Friendship with Foreign Countries (IAFFC) and the Egypt-China Technology Centre， a 16-member Chinese local friendship delegation composed of members of Local Governments and their Foreign Affairs Offices， local People’s Congresses， and local People’s Associations for Friendship with Foreign Countries headed by Yu Xinggong， chairman of the Standing Committee of the Haikou Municipal People’s Congress， paid a goodwill visit to India and Egypt from November 12 to 20， 2005.

In India

On the evening of November 14， the Unity International Foundation of India (UIFI) held a reception in honour of the CPAFFC delegation led by its Vice President Wang Yunze and the Chinese local friendship delegation. R. N. Anil， secretary general of the UIFI， spoke on the occasion. He said， India and China are two important neighbouring countries. The relationship between the Indian and Chinese people should be a fraternal one. The two peoples should strengthen mutual understanding and jointly promote the development of friendly relations between the two countries. The development of India-China relationship is of great importance to peace， stability and development of Asia and the world at large. In his address he emphasized time and again the important role of non-governmental diplomacy in the development of bilateral relations. He said， people-to-people contacts are indispensable to the development of state-to-state relations. Both the UIFI and the CPAFFC are organizations dedicated to developing friendship between the two peoples. The UIFI is willing to continue to keep and strengthen friendly and cooperative relations with the CPAFFC so as to promote the development of friendly relations between the two peoples. In his speech， Vice president Wang Yuze expressed his thanks to the UIFI for its kind invitation and warm reception， and fully affirmed the contribution made by the UIFI to enhancing understanding and friendship between the two peoples. Wang said， the CPAFFC will continue to strengthen cooperation and exchanges with all the Indian organizations for friendship with China including the UIFI.

At noon on November 15， Yang Linhai， cultural counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in India， held a reception in honour of the Chinese local friendship delegation. Shri Darshan Lal Sharma， secretary general of the India-China Society (ICS)， and Dr. Roshan Lal， vice president of the ICS， S.N. Ojha and S.S. Charman， vice president and secretary general of the IAFFC， and many Indian friendly personages were invited to the reception. Cultural Counsellor Yang Linhai briefed the delegation about the Indian organizations for friendship with China and introduced chief leaders of the ICS to the delegation. In his speech at the reception， Charman said， the development of the relations between the two countries needs the participation of the local governments who should conduct more exchanges and cooperation between them.

Yu Xinggong， head of the delegation said， China and India， close neighbours and two great countries with ancient civilization， have made outstanding contributions to the human civilization. The friendship between the Chinese and Indian people is long standing just like China’s Yellow River and India’s Ganges River flowing endlessly. China and India， two developing countries each with a large population， are faced with the same task of developing economy and improving people’s living standards.We can further cooperate in many aspects. The two peoples should strengthen exchanges and continuously push forward the development of friendly relations.

In Egypt

During its stay in Egypt the delegation was accorded warm welcome and reception from the Egyptian organizations for friendship with China. On the morning of November 20， the delegation had discussions with vice president and other leading members of the Egypt-China Friendship Association (ECFA). The ECFA vice president， on behalf of Youssef Amin Wali， president of the ECFA， expressed his welcome to the delegation’s visit to Egypt. He said， the delegation’s visit proves not only the friendly relations between the Egyptian and Chinese governments but also the friendly relations between the two peoples. Having worked in China which has become his second homeland， he has deep friendly feeling toward China. Both Egypt and China are countries with ancient civilization. China has successfully transcended its history of several thousand years. Egypt also should try to transcend its history and make new achievements. Egypt has learned a lot from China and wishes to learn more experience especially the operation and management of small projects. The ECFA is a bridge of friendship between the two countries and will become an effective channel for Egypt-China economic and cultural exchanges.

Yu Xinggong， head of the delegation， expressed his thanks to the ECFA for its warm reception. He said， Egypt is a country with ancient civilization and the Egyptian people are friendly and hospitable. The delegation’s visit to Egypt is very successful. We can learn many things from Egypt. The two countries have many points in common and can learn a lot from each other to make up for deficiencies. The cooperation between the two countries has very bright prospects.