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Peace Bell Ringing Ceremony Held at CPAFFC

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations， the CPAFFC held a Peace Bell Ringing Ceremony at its compound on the United Nations Day---October 24， 2005. Present at the ceremony were Chen Shoupeng， executive chairman of the China Working Committee of Social Celebrities (CWCSC) and the Chinese Celebrities Association (CCA)， Ji Chaozhu， former deputy secretary general of the United Nations and vice chairman of the CCA， Yasuyuki Aoshima， representative of the United Nations Educational， Scientific and Cultural Organization to China， and Ms. Kathleen Sebelius， governor of Kansas of the United States who was on a visit to China， and her party. Staff members of the CPAFFC and student representatives of the Beijing Dengshikou Primary School also attended the ceremony. CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin， Chen Shoupeng and Ji Chaozhu made speeches in which they spoke highly of the tremendous achievements the U. N. has scored in maintaining world peace and promoting progress of civilization in the past 60 years and expressed the Chinese people’s longing for peace and their aspirations for a world free from war and poverty， a world where harmony prevails.

On the same day， UN Secretary General Kofi Annan rang the World Harmony Bell at the United Nations. The bell was jointly designed， cast and donated to the United Nations by the CWCSC， the CCA and the World Harmony Foundation. (Ma Hairong)

Reception Marks 35 Years of China-Ethiopia Diplomatic Ties

On November 25， 2005， the CPAFFC， Chinese-African People’s Friendship Association (CAPFA) and the Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia jointly held a reception at the auditorium of the CPAFFC to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Ethiopia. Qiao Zonghuai， vice foreign minister， Yang Fuchang， president of the CAPFA， Sntayehu Weldemikael， minister of education， Fuad Ibrahim， vice minister of education， Dibaba Abdetta， Ethiopian chargé d’affaires ad interim and other Ethiopian diplomats were present at the reception. CPAFFC Vice President Wang Yunze made a speech. The Ethiopian acrobats wonderfully performed Chinese traditional acrobatic items at the reception.

30th National Day of Laos Celebrated

The CPAFFC and the China-ASEAN Association jointly held a reception on December 1， 2005， to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. CPAFFC Vice President Wang Yunze and Lao Ambassador Vichit Xindavong attended the reception and delivered speeches. Before the reception， diplomats from the Lao Embassy made presentations about their country at the Friendship Museum.