Ｃｅｎｔｅｎａｒｙ ｏｆ Ｂｉｒｔｈ ｏｆ Ｃｈｉｎｅｓｅ Ｐｅｏｐｌｅ’ｓ Ｏｌｄ Ｆｒｉｅｎｄ Ｉ．Ｖ． Ａｒｈｉｐｏｖ Ｃｏｍｍｅｍｏｒａｔｅｄ

On April 24， 2007， the CPAFFC and the China-Russia Friendship Association (CRFA) jointly held a meeting in commemoration of the centenary of the birth of I.V. Arhipov， an old friend of the Chinese people， former first vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and former honorary president of the Russia-China Friendship Association (RCFA). Chen Haosu， president of the CPAFFC and the CRFA， Bo Xilai， minister of commerce， Yan Mingfu， honorary president of the China Charity Federation， Liu Shu， executive vice president of the CRFA， Zhu Jiamu， vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences andthe CRFA， and representatives of various circles in Beijing attended the commemorative meeting. Igor V. Morgulov， minister counsellor of the Russian Embassy in China， Sergey S. Tsyplakov， Russian trade representative in China， as well as visiting Russian guests G. V. Kulikova， vice president of the RCFA， and A.M. Matveenko， president of the Moscow Aviation Institute and vice president of the RCFA， were also invited to the meeting.

I.V. Arhipov was born on May 1， 1907. In the 1950s he， as chief adviser to the Government Administration Council of China and chief of the Soviet Union’s aid-China expert group， worked in China for 8 years and made great contributions to China’s first Five-Year Plan. In 1958 the Chinese government in the name of Premier Zhou Enlai conferred upon him the certificate of gratitude and the China-USSR Friendship Medal. After returning home in 1958， he successively served as first vice chairman of the State Committee for Foreign Economic Relations of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and first vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. In 1984 he led a delegation of the USSR government to visit China， actively promoting cooperation between China and the USSR in the fields of economy， trade， science and technology and the process of normalization of relations between the two countries. After he left his post in 1986， he was elected first vice president of the Soviet-Chinese Friendship Association. In 1992 he served as honorary president of the RCFA. He passed away of illness in February 1998.

Chen Haosu briefed with deep feeling about Arhipov’s extraordinary life， and spoke highly of his outstanding contributions to China’s socialist construction and the friendship between Russia and China. Chen said， Arhipov and other Soviet experts had worked hard for the 156 projects constructed with the aid from the Soviet Union in the 1950s. After he was elected a leader of the Soviet-Chinese Friendship Association， he was invited by the CPAFFC to visit China many times. In 1989 he led a delegation to attend the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Deng Xiaoping， Chen Yun， Li Xiannian， Jiang Zemin， Li Peng， Bo Yibo and Wan Li met with him cordially. On May 1， 1996， the CPAFFC and CRFA held a grand ceremony at the Diaoyutai State Guest House to confer upon him the title of Friendship Ambassador and celebrate his 89th birthday. In May 1997， on the occasion of his 90th birthday， the CPAFFC presented him and his family with the book The Story of Arhipov edited by CPAFFC President Chen Haosu and written by Gao Meng to express the Chinese people’s sincere wish to him. On that occasion， Arhipov said with emotion， “China is my second home. Half of my heart is left in China.” During their visits to Russia， Chen Haosu and other leaders of the CRFA paid special visits to Arhipov and his wife many times. Chen said， Arhipov and his wife regarded the Chinese friends as their own family members. The Chinese comrades who had been to their home would never forget their sincere friendship. Comrade Arhipov had worked to the last minute of his life for the cause of friendship between the Russian and Chinese people. His spirit has inspired us to work for this sacred cause from generation to generation.

In his speech， Bo Xilai， minister of commerce， said， China’s first large-sized high-level economic and trade cooperation with other countries after the founding of new China began from the 156 Soviet-aided projects， which started the process of industrialization in China’s modern history. Arhipov as the chief economic adviser to the Chinese government had devoted all his enthusiasm and energy to it. Bo Xilai talked about how his father Bo Yibo and other Chinese leaders shared weal and woe and forged profound friendship with Arhipov in the exciting 1950s. He recalled his two meetings with Arhipov when he served as mayor of Dalian and the conferment of the title of Honorary Citizen of Dalian upon Arhipov in May 1996. Up till now Minister Bo still remembers how the 90-year-old man passionately sang the song Sailing to a Distant Place. The Minister extended his sincere thanks to CPAFFC President Chen Haosu for holding such an emotional commemoration， fully showing that the Chinese people do not forget old friends.

Comrade Yan Mingfu cordially called Arhipov “Ah Lao” (revered Arhipov). He got acquainted with Arhipov in 1956 and forged profound friendship with him in later years. Yan quoted what Shi Zhe said of Arhipov at that time: “A man in the prime of life who is energetic， very talented， active and upright and has great attainments and experience in economic construction as well as a strong sense of responsibility and great ability in administration and organization.” Yan said， Arhipov tried his best to ensure that all the Soviet experts working in China were persons of real learning with rich practical experience. In work he fully respected Chinese comrades and asked other Soviet experts to respect and treat their Chinese colleagues equally and never impose their opinions on the Chinese side. In order to ensure the smooth going of the Soviet-aided projects， he together with the Chinese and other Soviet experts traveled all over China and inspected many factories， mines and various major projects in order to find out personally how these works were going on and gave timely concrete instructions. Arhipov’s strong sense of responsibility for work and selfless dedication won the Chinese people’s trust.

Comrade Zhu Jiamu worked as Comrade Chen Yun’s secretary in the 1980s. He witnessed the touching scene when Chen Yun， Bo Yibo and Yao Yilin met with Arhipov in Zhongnanhai， Beijing on December 24， 1984. Zhu said， the four old men with tears in their eyes hugged each other tightly for many minutes. 30 years had passed since they parted in the late 1950s. Both sides had experienced too many difficulties and hardships， and all sorts of feelings welled up in their hearts. During his visit to China in 1991 Arhipov asked to see Comrade Chen Yun who was in Shanghai for recuperation and seldom received visitors because of his poor health. But， when he learnt that Arhipov wanted to see him， he immediately agreed. This was the last meeting of the two old men. Zhu Jiamu said， Arhipov in his prime made outstanding contributions to the friendship between the Soviet and Chinese people. In his old age he made special contributions to the restoration of the traditional friendship between the people of the two countries. It can be said that he dedicated all his life to the Soviet-Chinese and Russian-Chinese friendship.

Russian Trade Representative Sergey S. Tsyplakov said， the series of agreements signed between the Soviet Union and China in 1984 when the Soviet Union Government delegation led by Arhipov visited China have served for a good start of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries in the 1980s. Now Russia-China economic and trade cooperation maintains a good momentum of development and has entered a new historical stage. The agreements signed at that time still have practical significance nowadays. The cooperation between Russia and China in large industrial projects including the nuclear power station and the thermal-power plant embodies contributions made by Arhipov.

G. V. Kulikova， first vice president of the RCFA， told the audience vividly how Arhipov wholeheartedly threw himself into the cause of consolidating and developing Russia-China friendship after he took the post of first vice president of the Soviet-Chinese Friendship Association in 1986. She said， Arhipov’s greatest wish was that the friendship between the two great countries Russia and China and between the two peoples could last for generations， and it is also our common aspiration. The RCFA and the CRFA will continue to work hand in hand to make the friendship between Russia and China well established and vigorously develop and bear richer fruits. She said that after returning home she would tell Arhipov’s family about this touching commemorative meeting， and convey to them the Chinese people’ s deep feelings for their old friend.