CMFA Delegation Visits Myanmar

At the invitation of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) of Myanmar， a delegation of the China-Myanmar Friendship Association (CMFA) led by Feng Zuoku， its president and also Vice President of the CPAFFC， paid a goodwill visit to Myanmar from August 22 to 26， 2011.

This was the CMFA’s first visit to Myanmar since its reestablishment in April 2011. The USDP and various circles of Myanmar attached great importance to the event， and warmly welcomed the delegation.

During its stay in Myanmar， U Htay Oo， General Secretary of the USDP， met with and entertained the chief members of the delegation. U Win Aung， President of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI); U Win Myint， Minister of Commerce， and U Wunna Maung Lwin， Minister of Foreign Affairs， also had meetings. The two sides exchanged views on carrying out people-to-people exchanges and cooperation and reached a broad consensus. The delegation visited Yangon， Nay Pyi Taw and Pugam during their stay.

The CMFA， founded in 1952， was one of the earliest people’s organizations for friendship with foreign countries in New China， and also one of the 10 organizations that initiated the Chinese People’s Association for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries， the predecessor of the CPAFFC. But its work stopped in the late 1960s.

The USDP was formed in 2010 on the basis of the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) founded in 1993. With 18 million members and U Htay Oo as General Secretary， it is now the ruling party of Myanmar. For years， the CPAFFC and the USDA have kept frequent contacts and cooperation in work， leading to the August visit.

On August 24， U Htay Oo met with the delegation in Nay Pyi Taw. He said that， since winning the general election in 2010， the newly-established party had worked hard for improving people’s well-being and established friendly relations with many countries including China. The USDP was willing to expand exchanges and cooperation with the CPAFFC in the future， he stressed.

Feng Zuoku briefed U Htay Oo about the reestablishment of the CMFA and put forward four proposals on strengthening cooperation in future: first， to increase personnel exchanges between the two sides and keep regular contacts with Myanmar’s relevant organizations; second， to strengthen cultural exchanges and encourage cultural groups to exchange visits; third， to promote non-governmental economic and trade exchanges and take this task as high priority of CMFA work; fourth， to develop friendship-city ties and encourage local governments to conduct exchanges.

The delegation visits Myanmar’ industrial and commerce departments and economic organizations to discuss cooperation. During its stay in Myanmar， the delegation paid an official visit to the Ministry of Commerce， the UMFCCI， and the Chinese Business Association in Myanmar. It also made an inspection tour of the Yangon Economic Development Zone and several Myanmar enter- prises.

In recent years， economic and trade cooperation has developed rapidly. Bilateral trade has registered steady growth and has a huge potential for development. Feng Zuoku said that， at present China had abundant private capital and many private enterprises wanting to invest in Myanmar. Feng hoped that the two sides would make joint efforts to find areas for cooperation.

During official calls to other economic departments， the delegation learned in detail about Myanmar’s policies on investment， trade and finance and had initial discussions on cooperation in manufacturing industry， retail business and energy and mineral resources， and reached preliminary agreement in a number of areas.

China-Myanmar Friendship Night Reception promotes contacts with various circles. In the name of the CMFA， the delegation hosted a “China-Myanmar Friendship Night” reception on the evening of August 22. About 200 friendly personages of various circles attended. U Myint Swe， Chief Minister of Yangon Region; Hla Myint， Mayor of Yangon， and leading officials of various government departments of the Yangon Region were present. Personages of various circles chatted freely and cheerfully， watched the performances given by Chinese singers and dancers in a warm and friendly atmosphere.