ＵＳ ＷＷＩＩ Ｖｅｔｅｒａｎｓ Ｄｅｌｅｇａｔｉｏｎ’ｓ Ｖｉｓｉｔ ｔｏ Ｃｈｉｎａ

At the invitation of the CPAFFC， the US WWII veterans delegation with 12 members visited Beijing and Chongqing from November 16 to 22， 2008. In Beijing， the delegation attended the China-US WWII Veterans Peace Forum in Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Establishment of Sino-US Diplomatic Relations and the Friendship Forum of Chinese and American Supporters of the Project of Excavating， Restoring and Preserving Crashed Aircrafts of the US Flying Tigers in Jianli County of Hubei Province sponsored by the CPAFFC， and visited the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression， the Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Revolution and the stadiums and gymnasiums of the Beijing Olympic Games. In Chongqing， Mayor Wang Hongju and Vice Mayor Huang Qifan met with the delegation respectively. The delegation also visited the Stillwell Museum， Chongqing Museum of the Anti-Japanese War sites and the Three Gorges Museum.

China-US WWII Veterans Peace Forum

January 1 of 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Sino-US diplomatic relations. To commemorate the significant event and further promote the friendship and cooperation between the military forces and the people of the two countries， the CPAFFC held the China-US WWII Veterans Peace Forum at the Great Hall of the People on the morning of November 18， 2008. Buhe， former vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress， attended the forum. Chai Zemin， the first Chinese ambassador to the U.S.; General Qian Shugen， former deputy chief of the General Staff; Li Xiaolin， vice president of the CPAFFC; Admiral William Owens， former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Col. Philip Lanman， air attaché of the US Embassy in China; J. Vinyard， president of the Hump Pilot’s Association; Richard A. Pandorf， representative of the US WWII veterans; as well as Chinese veteran representatives Li Zhongquan and Xia Kui spoke at the forum. Chinese and American veterans and retired generals， and well-known social figures from various circles， totaling about 160， were present at the event.

Looking back， strengthening friendship. Representatives of the Chinese and American veterans said， both Chinese and American military forces and their people paid a heavy price in WWII. The two countries have common interests while their people have forged deep affections to each other. We should cherish this friendship from generation to generation and the hard-won peace.

Li Zhongquan， a Red Army veteran who had gone through the Long March， showed the forum participants some old pictures taken in the War Against Japanese Aggression as he recalled how for three times he struggled through the hail of bullets and escorted surviving US pilots to Yan’an and Bei- ping. He said with emotion， “although hundreds of American pilots were saved， a great number of US volunteers gave their precious lives when performing their tasks， who by this very moment are still lying silently on the vast land of China. You shed your blood on the same piece of land， and I miss you dearly， my friends from America!”

Lieutenant Glen Beneda of the 76th fighter squadron of the 14th Air Force could not make his visit this time due to health concerns at his 85 years of age. He specially entrusted his son Edward Beneda with his letter of congratulations to thank the Chinese soldiers and people who had saved him back in the war time and wish the forum a full success. In 1944， when he was on the way back after completing his task， he was blocked and attacked by Japanese planes， and unfortunately， his plane crashed in Jianli County of Hubei Province. The local army and people gave him disinterested assistance and medical care， and after two-month medical treatment at the garrison of the 5th Division of the New Fourth Army， he was transported to the barracks of the US army. Li Xiannian， the commander of the 5th Division then， came to visit him for several times. In the letter， Beneda mentioned that the Flying Tigers had a deep bound with the Chinese people. At the time， all the members of the Flying Tigers volunteered to come to China to assist the Chinese in their war against Japanese aggression. He believed that those who sacrificed their lives for people they never met symbolized the greatest love. This high affection and profound friendship have lasted unceasingly in the hearts of the Chinese and American people transcending the political boundary， and will surely pass on from generation to generation.

In her speech， Vice President Li Xiaolin praised the sincere feelings of the Chinese and American veterans towards each other， and confirmed that the CPAFFC would as always work to push the continuous development of the people-to-people friendship between China and the United States. After the forum， on behalf of his father， Edward presented Vice President Li Xiaolin a silk scarf printed with the emblem of the 14th Air Force， making a moving scene that led the commemoration to the climax.

Strengthening military mutual trust， developing strategic cooperation. General Qian Shugen emphasized， though same as the bilateral relations between the two countries， the relationship between the Chinese and US armies has undergone twists and turns， the exchanges between the two armies has deepened with widening domains， moving into a new phase for pragmatic cooperation. China’s national defence policy has always remained defensive in nature， and it is hoped that the U.S. will enhance its strategic trust in China， and on the base of which， make further efforts to deepen the relationship between the armies of the two countries. He said， Chinese and American veterans have all suffered from the miseries of war， therefore they know best the happiness that peace brings to the people. It was his hope that， Chinese and American veterans would properly use their experiences to help build the peaceful and harmonious strategic friendly relations between the two countries.

All the delegation members said， the event has evoked their memories of former times， which was significant for deepening friendship and conducting military exchanges. Assistants and descendants of the veterans expressed on many occasions that they were proud of their fathers and willing to make their own contribution to promoting the development of Sino-US relations.

Melvin McMullen， former president of the China-Burma-India Veterans Association and member of the delegation， said that in the past the Japanese invaders were our common enemies， and now our two countries needed to work together to tide over the global financial crisis. He believed that we could achieve another great victory through our cooperation. Many veterans agreed that China and the U.S. used to be cooperative partners in the War Against Japanese Aggression and we are and will always be good friends and partners in future.

Highly Praising China’s Achievements in Reform and Opening up

During his meeting with the delegation， Mayor Wang Hongju said， “It has been 63 years since the end of WWII， and the battlefield where you fought has now been turned into a place with thriving vitality. The Americans in Chongqing back then were mainly military staff， and now they are entrepreneurs， engineers or technicians. Our two sides are continuing our efforts for common development.”

The delegation went to the Military Museum of the Chinese People’s Revolution for the Ode to the Spectacular Space Tour—Photographic Documentary of the Shenzhou 7 Manned Space Mission， the stadiums and gymnasiums of the Beijing Olympic Games， the Chongqing People’s Hall and the Three Gorges Museum， where they gained new understanding and knowledge about China’s science and technology， sports and people’s livelihood. They praised the achievements made within the 30 years of China’s reform and opening up.

Jeffrey Greene， executive director of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation and head of the delegation said， though he had come to China for more than 50 times， he could still feel the rapid development underway everywhere in the country， the great changes in the cities and people’s thoughts renewed continuously. At the Beijing Olympic stadiums， all the delegation members were very excited. They said， the Beijing Olympic Games showed the world the long tradition of Chinese culture and set up a friendly and hospitable image of the Chinese people. As old friends of the Chinese people， they felt proud of China’s success and would bring home what they saw and heard here， telling their families and friends， so as to encourage more Americans to visit China and learn from China’s development experience.