ＣＰＡＦＦＣ Ｄｅｌｅｇａｔｉｏｎ Ｖｉｓｉｔｓ Ｎｅｐａｌ ａｎｄ Ｂａｎｇｌａｄｅｓｈ

At the invitation of the Nepal China Executives Council (NCEC) and the Bangladesh-China People’s Friendship Association (BCPFA)， a CPAFFC delegation led by its vice president Feng Zuoku paid a goodwill visit to Nepal and Bangladesh from April 3 to 10， 2009.

During its visit to the two countries， the delegation made extensive contacts with Nepalese and Bangladeshi personages from the political and business circles and nongovernmental friendship organizations.Krishna Bahadur Mahara， minister of information and communications， and Hisila Yami， minister of tourism and civil aviation of Nepal; Narayan Man Bijukchhe， president of Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ Party (NWPP) and the Nepal China Friendship Association (NCFA); Ram Ji Prashad Baral， chief administrative officer of Chitwan City of Nepal; and Barrister Shafique Ahmed， Bangladeshi minister of law， justice and parliamentary affairs， met with the delegation on separate occasions. The NCEC， the BCPFA and Bangladesh Prime Bank Managing Director M. Ehsanul Haque respectively held receptions in honour of the delegation. Representatives of the friendship organizations， friendly personages as well as personages from the political， economic and other social circles of the two countries were invited to the receptions. Vice President Feng Zuoku， on behalf of the CPAFFC， held working meetings and signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with the NCEC and the BCPFA respectively. The delegation visited the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre constructed with China’s aid.

Speaking highly of China-Nepal and China-Bangladesh relations. In his meeting with the delegation， Krishna Bahadur Mahara， Nepalese minister of information and communications， spoke highly of the friendly relations between the governments， political parties and peoples of the two countries. He said， China is the friendliest neighbour of Nepal. China has always strictly abided by the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and never interferes in the internal affairs of other countries. It respects and supports the Nepalese people’s own choice and decision. The Nepalese Government and people appreciate it very much. He continued， Nepal and China have maintained friendly relations for generations. The people in the border areas of the two countries have similar cultures and customs and keep close economic and trade ties. This friendly relationship will pass on from generation to generation. An important task Nepal is facing at present is to maintain lasting peace and build Nepal into an independent， peaceful， prosperous and strong country. He hoped that the CPAFFC would do more work to promote people-to-people friendship and economic and cultural exchanges between the two countries. He believed that the relations between the two countries would surely see further growth.

In his meeting with the delegation， Barrister Shafique Ahmed， Bangladeshi minister of law， justice and parliamentary affairs， said， there is traditional friendship between Bangladesh and China. He has visited China many times and China has left a beautiful and deep impression on him. In recent years， the two countries have carried out frequent trade exchanges. Many Chinese entrepreneurs have made investment in Bangladesh， helping promote the country’s economic development. The people of the two countries have benefited from the friendship between the two countries. At present the two countries should work together to fight off the effects of the financial crisis and strengthen cooperation in the political， economic and cultural fields to achieve common development.

Firmly supporting China’s stand on the issues relating to Tibet. The Nepalese and Bangladeshi government officials and friendship organizations told the delegation on many occasions that they support China’s principles and stand on the issues relating to Tibet. Nepalese Information Minister Mahara said， Nepal unswervingly supports the “one-China” stand， recognizes that Tibet is an inalienable part of China and pledges to resolutely stop the forces for “Tibet independence” from carrying out anti-China secessionist activities in Nepal.

NWPP President Narayan Man Bijukchhe strongly condemned the secessionist activities carried out by the forces for “Tibet independence”. He said， the NCFA has actively publicized the reality and truth of Tibet to the Nepalese people and published the book Tibet: Turmoil and Reality， giving the facts of the March 14 incident that happened in Tibet last year and exposing the Dalai Lama’s hypocrisy and lies.

NCEC President Anoop Ranjan Bhattarai said， the NCEC is willing to do more work on the issues relating to Tibet and hopes to set up a Tibetan Cultural Centre in Nepal in cooperation with the Foreign Affairs Office of the Tibet Autonomous Region so as to publicize Tibet’s history and current situation to help the Nepalese people know about the real Tibet.

Deepening cooperation between the CPAFFC and the friendship organizations of Nepal and Bangladesh. During its visit in the two countries， the delegation had working meetings respectively with the NCEC and the BCPFA. Both sides unanimously held that friendship is the basis and cooperation the aim， and agreed to carry out cooperation in various fields so as to maintain sustained development of the friendly relations.

Vice President Feng Zuoku， on behalf of the CPAFFC， signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation respectively with the NCEC and the BCPFA， and reached consensus with them on enriching the contents and expanding the areas of cooperation， carrying out substantive exchanges and deepening cooperation.

At the reception in honour of the delegation given by the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh， Vice President Feng had conversations with the representatives of the BCFA， the BCPFA， the Bangladesh-China Friendship Centre， the Bangladesh-China Economics， Culture and Communications Centre and the Bangladesh-China Institute on future exchanges and cooperation.

Promoting cooperation between the local governments. During the delegation’s visit in the two countries， Nepal and Bangladesh showed positive attitudes towards cooperation with Chinese local governments. Chief Administrative Officer of Chitwan Baral and President Bijukchhe of Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ Party expressed their hope that the CPAFFC would help Chitwan and Bhaktapur to find suitable Chinese cities for them to establish friendship-city ties and carry out cooperation so as to promote urban development. During the visit， four leading officials of the friendship associations of Yunnan， Guangxi and Sichuan in the delegation had talks with local government officials of the two countries.