Long—Standing Partnership Between CPAFFC and Swiss—Chinese Association

My first contact with the CPAFFC was in 1987 when I had the privilege to meet the former President， HE Mr. Han Xu. He explained the mission of the CPAFFC to me. He presented me with a wonderful bowl of Chinese porcelain as a symbol of our mutual understanding and appreciation. Later on I had the opportunity to meet his successor， HE Mr. Qi Huaiyuan and afterwards HE Mr. Chen Haosu， first in his function as Vice-President and then as President of the CPAFFC from 2000- 2011. I had the honor to see him many times and we became good old friends. We always had very good discussions with the aim to set a goal for building bridges of a mutual comprehension between the People’s Republic of China and Switzerland. I feel very happy and honored that this tradition has been continued by HE Mrs. Li Xiaolin since 2011. The relationship between the CPAFFC and the Swiss-Chinese Association reflects also the very long and good mutual understanding between both countries； Switzerland is one of the first countries in Western Europe， which recognised the PR of China on a diplomatic level in 1950.

The CPAFFC， like the Swiss-Chinese Association， is an organization engaged in people-to-people diplomacy of the People’s Republic of China. The aims of the Association are to enhance people’s friendship， further international cooperation， safeguard world peace and promote general and common development. The Swiss-Chinese Association pursues the same objectives. May I mention one example： For many years we received official delegations from the PR of China and from the CPAFFC in Switzerland with the aim to explain our federalistic and democratic system， our cultural and scientific activities and our strong regulations of environmental protection as well as our social and economic success. On the other hand the Swiss delegations have the opportunity to get an impression of the huge dimensions of China with its 56 ethnic groups， to witness the fast economic and social development of the country and to admire its wonderful cultural heritage as well as the diverse and beautiful landscape.

This continuous and fruitful exchange of experiences is the foundation of our cooperation. I also feel very honored that the CPAFFC awarded me the title of Friendship Ambassador in 2009.

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the CPAFFC I would like to take the opportunity to express our congratulations and to convey our best wishes for a further， healthy development of your organization. I would like to express our gratitude for the confidence which the CPAFFC shows to the Swiss Association as a reliable partner. I would like to thank President Li Xiaolin as well as the staff and all employees of the CPAFFC for their wonderful contribution. Together， they all fulfill an important task and meet a great challenge in a rapidly changing world.

The CPAFFC can count on its older counterpart， the Swiss Chinese Association， with its over 65 years of excellent relations between the two countries. I sincerely hope that our friendship will set a good example in the world of today： showing how two countries—different in their languages， in their culture， in their sizes and also in their political systems—can cooperate successfully in peace， with mutual comprehension and understanding and with great respect for each other.