CPAFFC President Chen Haosu Visits Yemen and Jordan

From March 10 to 19， a CPAFFC delegation headed by its President Chen Haosu paid a goodwill visit to Yemen and Jordan as guests of the Yemeni-Chinese Friendship Association (YCFA) and the Jordan-China Friendship Society (JCFS).

In Yemen， meetings included ones with Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Mujawar and Amat Alrazza Hommad， Deputy General Secretary of the ruling General People’s Congress and Minister of Social Affairs and Labor.

Prime Minister Mujawar noted a long history of friendship and shared common interests in many fields， with frequent exchanges of visits at high level， such as President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s visit to China in 2006 and Vice President Xi Jinping’s visit to Yemen in 2008. China was now Yemen’s biggest trade partner， while the Chinese people had given great assistance in the country’s construction and development， as demonstrated by the Cemetery for Chinese Martyrs in Sana and the medical teams that had been providing health services to local people for decades. He expressed the hope that bilateral cooperation in all fields would see further development， adding that Yemen welcomed Chinese investments in mining， cement and fishery and other areas.

President Chen Haosu noted the visit to Yemen 600 years ago by the fleet led by Admiral Zheng He， a Chinese navigator of the Ming Dynasty; today， the Chinese naval fleet was once again active in the Gulf of Aden to continue a new chapter of Sino-Yemeni friendship. This demonstrated the great responsibility for regional and world peace shouldered by the two countries.

During his meeting with Deputy General Secretary Hommad， President Chen said that， over the past century， China and Yemen had waged hard struggles on their roads to development， deepening their relations in the process. China thanked Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh for his outstanding contribution to consolidating and developing the bilateral friendship. President Chen Haosu asked the Deputy General Secretary to pass on to President Saleh the China-Yemen Friendship Award conferred by the CPAFFC and to convey to him the Chinese people’s deep respect.

At the working meeting between the friendship associations of the two countries， YCFA President Jamal al-Khawlani said that， thanks to the efforts by generations of leaders， a solid foundation of friendship had been laid. The two sides should strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation， tapping the cooperation potential in industry， mining and trade so as to promote further progress in the substantive friendly relations. Jamal al-Khawlani told the delegation that he had been recently appointed vice minister of local administration and hoped to enhance exchanges between local governments of the two countries in future. President Chen nodded his agreement， saying that the CPAFFC would continue to use its influence and work with the Yemeni counterpart to bring about a new situation of friendly cooperation by carrying out more projects that would benefit our peoples. He also briefed the Yemeni side on the Third China-Arab Friendship Conference to be held in Tripoli， Libya later in the year and the China-Arab Cities Forum currently in preparation. He hoped Yemen would send delegations to these events.

In Aden Province， Governor Adnan al-Jeffri said， Yemen and China enjoyed close political relations， but cooperation between localities was obviously inadequate. He hoped that further efforts would be made to advance local government cooperation.

Exchange of Views in Jordan

In Jordan， Chen Haosu exchanged views with Senate President Taher Al Masri on the Middle East situation. The latter described China as a true friend of Jordan whose firm support for the just cause of the Arab peoples was deeply appreciated. In recent years， China had made great achievements with raised international standing. He hoped China would play a greater role in Middle East and expressed his belief that peace would eventually come to the region through the concerted efforts of the entire international community.

President Chen thanked President Masri for his remarks. He said， the Chinese people had consistently supported the Arab people in their just cause. For several decades， the CPAFFC had held annual events in commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People， and in 2006 designated November 29 as the Day of China-Arab Friendship. The Chinese people fully understood the Arab people’s aspiration for unity and hoped peace would be realized at an early date.

At a get-together with the members of the Executive Committee of the JCFS， President Chen highly praised the JCFS for its important contribution to enhancing the friendly relations and cooperation between the people of China and Jordan. JCFS President Fayiz Soheimat told the delegation that the organization included former MPs and ministers， and famous entrepreneurs， doctors， lawyers， university presidents， all of whom were influential figures of the country. The JCFS would work to further its cooperation with the CPAFFC to promote the continuous development of Jordan-China and Arab-China friendship.