Carry on 50 Years of Traditional Friendship And Open a New Chapter of Cooperation Between CPAFFC and Tunisia

unisia is located at the northern end of Africa and faces the Mediterranean Sea on the north and the east. In the early 9th century BCE， the Phoenicians built Carthage bordering the Tunisian Gulf， and created the brilliant Carthaginian civilization. Now， Tunisia has become a multi-cultural country integrating a long civilization.

China and Tunisia established diplomatic relations on January 10， 1964， and despite being separated by vast oceans， they have developed profound traditional friendship. To mark the 50th anniversary， carry on the traditional friendship and boost cooperation， the CPAFFC， the Tunisian Embassy in China and the Association of Tunisia-China Friendship （ATCF） have carried out rich and colorful activities in Beijing.

Reception in Celebration of

the 50th Anniversary

Upon assuming his post as Tunisian ambassador at the end of 2013， Tarek Amri contacted the CPAFFC and had talks with CPAFFC Vice President Feng Zuoku， expressing his willingness to keep close ties with the organization and further promote friendly cooperation between the two countries in all fields.

On January 10， 2014 the Tunisian Embassy held a reception in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and invited Feng Zuoku to attend.

On March 20， the CPAFFC and the embassy jointly held a reception at the Peace Palace of the CPAFFC to mark both the 50th anniversary of China-Tunisia diplomatic relations and the 58th anniversary of independence of Tunisia.

Abdul’ahat Abdulrixit， Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the 11th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and President of the Chinese-African People’s Friendship Association； Zhang Ming， Vice Foreign Minister； and Feng Zuoku， CPAFFC Vice President； as well as leading members of the Foreign Ministry， the International Department of the CPC Central Committee， the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Culture； leaders of the China-Arab Friendship Association， media and overseas Tunisians in Beijing， were among the 130 attendees.

In his speech， Feng Zuoku recalled how the late Premier Zhou Enlai’s visit to Africa 50 years ago had brought the people of the two countries closer together. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations， the two countries had made steady progress in friendly exchanges and cooperation in the political， economic and cultural fields， and the two peoples had enhanced mutual understanding and deepened friendship.

Tarek Amri spoke highly of China’s strong support given to Tunisia in all aspects and hoped that the two countries would soon upgrade their relationship to a strategic partnership.

Sousse Mayor Attends First

China-Arab Cities Forum

Invited by the CPAFFC， the Mayor of Sousse， Mohamed Mokni， attended the first China-Arab Forum on Cities in Quanzhou from June 17 to 18.

Sousse， located on the coast of eastern Tunisia， is the country’s third largest city long famous for its tourist attractions （listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site）. During the forum， the Vice Mayor of Quanzhou， Chen Rongzhou， and Mohamed Mokni， signed a letter of intent on the establishment of friendship-city ties with the recommendation of the CPAFFC.

The two cities will carry out exchanges and cooperation in the fields of economy， trade， science， technology， culture， tourism， sports， health care， education and qualified personnel to promote common development and prosperity.

Cultural Exchanges Between

Chinese and Tunisian Youth

For many years， the CPAFFC has promoted good exchanges and cooperation with the ATCF， a non-governmental organization founded in 1957. On many occasions， ATCF President Ezzeddine Jebali has attended the CPAFFC-sponsored China-Arab Friendship Conference and meetings of friendship-with-China organizations of Arab countries， and organized Tunisian youth delegations to take part in summer camp activities in China.

An 11-member youth delegation organized and sent by the ATCF visited China to take part in the activities of China-Arab Youth Friendship Week organized by the CPAFFC from September 2 to 10 this year. While in Beijing， the delegation visited the Chinese Culture Experience Center under Hanban （Confucius Institute Headquarters）. They experienced rich and profound traditional Chinese culture through making paper-cuts of the twelve zodiac animals， trying on Peking Opera costumes， learning Chinese pronunciation， etc.

They also visited the Beijing Sport University （BSU） where Vice President Chi Jian told them he welcomed Tunisian university students to study in the BSU and the university would help them to apply for a national scholarship. The Tunisians then practiced a series of qigong skills and tricks with keen interest.

Also in 2014， the CPAFFC attended the breakfast meeting hosted by the Association of the Wives of Arab Countries’ Ambassadors to China and the Tunisian Embassy and watched a show of Tunisian traditional folk costumes organized by the wife of Tunisian Ambassador.

In July， the CPAFFC was the focus of an interview by reporters of Tunisian State TV， introducing its activities and the China-Arab Friendship Association. The Tunisian reporters said the CPAFFC was their first port of call in China， so that their visit started and would end in friendship. In September， the Tunisian Embassy invited the CPAFFC to participate in the activities of the Tunisian Culture Week， during which Tunisian food， clothes， music， paintings， photos， mosaics and handicrafts were exhibited.

Over two thousand years ago， the Silk Road started the history of friendly contacts between the people of China and Arab countries. Fifty years ago， Premier Zhou Enlai’s visit to Africa built a China-Africa friendship road. The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Tunisia in 1964 opened a new chapter in the annals of friendly exchanges.

The initiatives of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road put forward by President Xi Jinping in 2013 will further deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese and Arab people. The CPAFFC， by taking the opportunity of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Tunisia， will continue to strengthen cooperation with Tunisia and make joint efforts to promote the development of friendly and cooperative relationship in all fields for mutual benefit.

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