Japanese Silk Road Tour Delegation in Xinjiang

A Silk Road Tour Delegation from Nara， Japan visited Urumqi and Kuqa of Xinjiang from July 24 to 30 and called on the Cultural Relics Bureau of the Xinjiang Autonomous Regional Government and the Xinjiang People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries（XPAFFC）.

XPAFFC President Muzapar Mijit met them on the evening of July 29. He said that it was quite admirable for the delegation to visit China at a time when SinoJapanese relations were suffering. Their visit would surely have a positive significance on promoting exchanges and enhancing mutual understanding and trust between the people of Xinjiang and Nara.

He thanked the Japan-China Friendship Association （JCFA） and Nara JCFA for the long-term support and help given to the XPAFFC for carrying out people-to-people exchange activities with Japan.

Delegation head Ms. Junkei Yasuda said many members of the delegation had visited the region several times and had developed a special bond with it. She told Muzapar Mijit that the trip had been postponed from the original schedule of September 2012 due to the dispute over the Diaoyu Islands， so they were deeply honored by the warm hospitality accorded them， which demonstrated the great attention attached by the XPAFFC to their visit.

When she returned to Japan she would tell her colleagues the high courtesy and friendship they had received in Xinjiang and encourage them to continue to make unremitting efforts for the cause of Sino-Japanese friendship.

Members of the delegation spoke highly of Xinjiang’s achievements in economic development， social progress and ethnic unity in recent years. Both hosts and guests at the banquet recalled their friendship and toasted to each other expressing their wishes to create a better future hand in hand.

The delegation was composed of old and middle-aged friendly personages from all walks of life in Nara. Most of them had visited Xinjiang several times since the 1980s and made generous donations to the maintenance and restoration of cultural relics and historical sites.