The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) kindly invited the Romanian Chinese House Friendship Association to send a delegation to take part in events held in Beijing on 14-18 May 2014, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its founding in 1954. Nicolae Dumitru, our National Secretary General, Ioan Donca , Vice-Chairman and Ecaterina Vanea, our General Director attended and their short report below gives a flavour of the commemoration.
Sixty years is a particularly important anniversary in Chinese culture as this marks one complete cycle of the Chinese zodiac. This was emphasised by the presence of President Xi Jinping at the 60th Anniversary Conference, as well as the inauguration of a Public Diplomacy Museum, eight TV documentaries, a commemorative book and a special stamp. We were delighted to receive the invitation from CPAFFC. At the beginning, the organizers displayed an old friend list with Bucur Clejan and David Iancu that make us proud.
The main theme of the International Friendship Conference, held in the Great Hall of the People, was the importance of “people to people diplomacy”, and the significant difference this can make to relationships between China and the people of all nations.
In his keynote speech, President Xi said stressed China’s peaceful diplomacy and that the country was not motivated by expansion or hegemony. He said the CPAFFC “played an irreplaceable role in promoting China’s friendship with other countries”, and “showcased the power of people-to-people engagement in promoting world peace and development.” He urged people in all countries to “strengthen friendly exchanges and join hands in the face of a complicated international situation and severe global challenges”.
Xi also called on the association to innovate and explore ways to allow for more people-to-people exchanges, and help build more “twin city” links and promote exchanges between local governments. The CPAFFC has already established friendly cooperation with more than 500 non-governmental organizations in 157 countries, and helped the establishment of 2,106 “twin cities” between China and 133 nations – in Romania few cities is twinned with Chinese cities.
The conference was also addressed by CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin, and representatives of friendship associations from five continents. President Xi’s speech is reported in brief on Xinhua here. There is also a video excerpt in Chinese on CCTV here.
We also attended an event at the CCTV headquarters, with 42 items in the programme, a mixture of videos, speeches and live performances. These included stories of friendships between Chinese people and those from the US, USSR, Brazil, Laos, San Marino, Gabon, and French Polynesia, amongst many others. We were especially pleased that the performance was closed by the singing by a children’s chorus of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ – in Chinese, otherwise we would have joined in !
Other events during our trip included a visit to the newly opened Arts and Crafts Museum, and a lunch hosted by CPAFFC Vice President Li Jianping. We also toured the CPAFFC headquarters and we met many old friends from the organisation and made many new friends amongst the other international. delegations.
O delegaţie din România, condusă de secretarul general al Casei Româno-Chineze, Nicolae Dumitru, a efectuat o vizită de prietenie în China, la invitaţia Asociaţiei de Prietenie a Poporului Chinez cu Străinătatea.
Din delegaţie au mai făcut parte vicepreşedintele Casei Româno-Chineze şi fost ambasador român la Beijing, Ioan Donca, managerul general al Casei, Ecaterina Vanea, directorul Departamentului pentru afaceri externe al Casei, Antonia Mehedinţu şi preşedintele Filialei Caraş-Severin al Asociaţiei Române de Prietenie cu Republica Populară Chineză, Ilie Cristescu.
Oaspeţii români au participat la Reuniunea Internaţională a Prieteniei, prilejuită de aniversarea a 60 de ani de la înfiinţarea Asociaţiei de Prietenie a Poporului Chinez cu Străinătatea, care a avut loc la data de 15 mai, în Marea Sală a Poporului din Beijing. La eveniment a participat şi preşedintele Chinei, Xi Jinping, care în discursul său a afirmat că naţiunea chineză are tradiţia şi obiceiul de „a răsplăti cu apă de izvor o picătură de bine”. Poporul chinez nu-şi va uita, nicodată, prietenii. El a transmis întreaga consideraţie prietenilor din toate ţările care au simpatizat şi sprjinit revoluţia, construcţia şi reforma din China. Xi Jinping a relevat faptul că prietenia dintre popoare constituie o forţă de bază pentru promovarea păcii şi dezvoltării mondiale, fiind totodată o condiţie fundamentală pentru realizarea cooperării şi a beneficiilor comune. China va efectua, în continuare, schimburi culturale cu diferite ţări, pentru a contribui la promovarea dezvoltării civilizaţiei umane.
La reuniune au fost invitaţi, de asemenea, reprezentanţi ai organizaţiilor de prietenie, personalităţi şi membri ai familiilor foştilor prieteni din diferite ţări, care au adus contribuţii remarcabile la revoluţia şi construcţia Chinei. Printre invitaţi a fost şi Yao Jinyuan, nepotul doamnei Zhao Qinpu, soţia fostului medic român, Bucur Clejan, cel care a venit în China, împreună cu soţia şi medicul Ion David, în anii 40, pentru a sprijini războiul poporului chinez de rezistenţă împotriva agresiunii japoneze.
La data de 14 mai 2014, preşedintele Asociaţiei de Prietenie China-România, Liu Guchang a oferit o recepţie în cinstea oaspeţilor români, la care au fost prezenţi vicepreşedintele permanent al asociaţiei, Wang Tieshan, vicepreşedinte al Asociaţiei, Luo Dongquan, secretarul general al asociaţiei şi director al Departamentului pentru probleme euro-asiatice al Asociaţiei de Prietenie a Poporului Chinez cu Străinătatea, Kang Jingyuan. Atmosfera a fost una cordială, prietenească, la fel ca între prieteni cu amintiri vechi.
Delegaţia română a vizitat, în perioada 13-18 mai, mai multe obiective culturale şi turistice la Beijing, Jilin şi Changchun.
Asociaţia de Prietenie a Poporului Chinez cu Străinătatea a fost înfiinţată în 3 mai 1954. Până acum, aceasta a stabilit relaţii de cooperare şi de prietenie cu peste 500 de organizaţii neguvernamentale din 157 de ţări şi regiuni ale lumii. （Luo Dongquan- Radio China Internaţional）
60 de ani de existenţă a Asociaţiei de Prietenie a Poporului Chinez cu Străinătatea
Asociaţia de Prietenie a Poporului Chinez cu Străinătatea împlineşte 60 de ani de existenţă, ocazie cu care, joi, a fost organizată o festivitate, în Marea Sală a Poporului din Beijing. Preşedintele Xi Jinping a participat la eveniment şi a declarat, în discursul său, că prietenia dintre diferitele popoare constituie o forţă de bază pentru promovarea păcii şi dezvoltării mondiale, fiind totodată o condiţie de bază pentru realizarea cooperării şi a beneficiilor comune. Popoarele diferitelor ţări trebuie să consolideze schimburile de prietenie, să colaboreze strâns, pentru a face faţă împreună situaţiei globale schimbătoare şi problemelor mondiale serioase. China va derula, în continuare, schimburi culturale cu străinătate, pentru a aduce contribuţii la promovarea dezvoltării civilizaţiei omenirii.
Asociaţia de Prietenie a Poporului Chinez cu Străinătatea a fost înfiinţată în 3 mai 1954. Până acum, această organizaţie neguvernamentală a stabilit relaţii de cooperare şi de prietenie cu peste 500 de organizaţii civile din 157 de ţări şi regiuni ale lumii. ( source: Wang Tieshan)
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses China International Friendship Conference in Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC)
President Xi Jinping attended China International Friendship Conference in Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) at the Great Hall of the People, on May 15, and delivered a keynote speech stressing friendship between peoples as a vital force to promote world peace and development, and the sincerity of Chinese people to live in amity with people around the world, to seek harmonious development and to jointly advance the lofty cause of peace and development for humanity. He called on innovative and exploratory approaches to be employed by people-to-people diplomacy for multi-field, multi-channel and multi-level international exchanges.
On behalf of the Chinese government and people, President Xi extended warm congratulations on the opening of the meeting and paid tribute to international friends who cherish friendship and love peace, as well as friends around the world who have been providing sympathy and support for China’s revolution, construction and reform.
Xi said friendship between peoples is a vital force to promote world peace and development, as well as a precondition to realize win-win cooperation. Peoples in all countries should strengthen friendly exchanges and join hands in the face of a complicated international situation and severe global challenges. In the process of realizing nation’s great rejuvenation, China will along with countries around the world advance the realization of their people’s dreams. China will continue opening up to the outside world, advance mutually beneficial cooperation, promote the building of Silk Road economic belt and the Maritime Silk Road in the 21st century, and champion the joint creation and sharing of development opportunities among nations. China will enhance Sino-foreign cultural exchanges and make contributions to the advancement of human civilization.
Xi stressed that the Chinese is a peace-loving nation, and has been pursuing and promoting the unswerving beliefs in peach, amity and harmony. There’s no gene for invasion and seeking global hegemony in Chinese people’s blood; Chinese people won’t follow the logic that “might is right,” and are willing to live in amity with people around the world, seek harmonious development, and to jointly strive for peace, protect peach and share peace. China will firmly stick to the path of peaceful development, and will insist that other countries all stick to the path of peaceful development.
President Xi Jinping stated that we should work together to enhance exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations to safeguard world peace and advance common development of all countries. People-to-people is the most profound force of advancing exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. We should boost learning about each other, mutual understanding, mutual support and mutual assistance, through promoting exchanges and mutual learning activities among civilizations that are cross-national-border, cross-time-and-space and cross-civilizations, uphold the idea of peace in the mind of people around the world, and forge the powerful force of preventing and opposing war and of promoting common development.
Xi added that CPAFFC, in adherence to China’s independent foreign policy of peace, has played an irreplaceable role in promoting China’s friendship with other countries, and its 60-year development has showcased the power of people-to-people engagement in promoting world peace and development, and its important role in China’s overall diplomacy. President Xi expressed the hope that CPAFFC will make persistent efforts further boosting people-to-people diplomacy, city diplomacy and public diplomacy, and make bigger contribution to the undertaking conducted by the Chinese public of promoting friendship with other countries.
Xi called on innovative and exploratory approaches to be employed by people-to-people diplomacy for multi-field, multi-channel and multi-level international exchanges. We should win friends and obtain understanding by sincerity, honesty and openness. We should explore more exchange channel and build more cooperation platforms steering organizations at home and abroad and outstanding talents to participate in China’s modernization endeavor in a variety of forms. We should further strengthen the efforts of building more sister cities and promote exchanges between localities; place importance on public diplomacy, well communicate the Chinese voice, tell Chinese stories effectively, and present to the world a real, multi-dimensional and complete image of China.
At last, President Xi said that everything is possible as long as we have dreams, pursuits and dedications backed up with great efforts. Chinese people have dream, and people around the world have their dreams. It will bring boundless vitality and great prospect to the world. Let’s join in hands to work together for our dreams, and for advancing the lofty cause of peace and development of humanity.
At the conference, Li Xiaolin, President of CPAFFC reviewed 60 years of history and development of CPAFFC, and expressed confidence in writing new chapters of making friends and deepening friendship in the international community and various countries around the world for the cause of human progress and solidarity, under the banner of “friendship, peace, cooperation and development.”
Her Royal Highness Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu Tuita of Tonga, Japan’s former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, San Marino-China Friendship Association President Terenzi, former Chairman of the AU Commission and former Foreign Minister Jean Ping of Gabon, and United States ex-President Richard Nixon’s grandson, Mr. Cox addressed at the ceremony. They expressed appreciation for China to develop friendly and cooperative ties with countries around the world on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefits, commended China’s constructive role as a great power in maintaining world peace and promoting common development, expressed hope that CPAFFC could make bigger contribution to promoting Sino-foreign mutual understanding and friendship, and appealed to the people around the world to uphold the concepts of peace, fraternity and cooperation, together creating a better future for the world.
Chen Changzhi, Vice Chairman of the NPC, NPC Vice Chairman Arken Imirbaki, Wang Jiarui, Vice-Chairman of CPPCC, heads of relevant ministries, people’s organizations and CPAFFC provincial associations, people who have long been engaged in people-to-people diplomacy, as well as representatives of friendly organizations and individuals around the world numbering 850 attended the Conference.
Before the meeting, President Xi Jinping met with foreign representatives at the meeting.
Founded on May 3, 1945, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) is a national people’s organization engaged in people-to-people diplomacy of the People’s Republic of China. It has set up 46 China-regional or China-national friendship organizations, established relationship of friendly cooperation with nearly 500 non-governmental organizations and institutions in 157 countries, and coordinated in establishing 2106 pairs of sister province-state and city relationships between China and 133 countries.
source: www.nishan.org.cn