2012 China International Friendship Cities Conference sponsored by The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and China International Friendship Cites Association (CIFCA), was successfully held in Chengdu, from Spet., 11 to 13, 2012.        The Opening Ceremony Dai Bingguo, the Chinese State Councilor sent his address. Lu Yongxiang, the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of National People’s Congress，Li Xiaolin, the president of the CPAFFC, her highness ，Salote Lupepauu Tuita, the princess of Tonga, Romano Prodi, the former Premier of Italy and former President of European Commission, were present at the conference and delivered speeches.       Lu Yongxiang, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of NPC Addressing the Closing Ceremony       CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin Addressing the Opening Ceremony       Romano Prodi, the Former Chairman of EU Commission and Premier of Italy Delivering Speech at Closing Ceremony       Princess Salote Lupepauu Tuita Addressing the Opeing Ceremony 720 participants from 95 cities of 49 foreign counties and 90 Chinese cities attended this conference. The participants of the conference held discussions, including the topics of development strategies of city internationalization, urban transition and leap-forward development, city orientation and investment direction, city emergency relief, and urban aging population. They also held forums on special topics, forums on regional affairs, and held signing ceremony for newly established sister cities. They also commended the Chinese and foreign cities and personages upon their distinguished contributions in year 2010 to 2011. The next international friendship cities conference will be held in Guangzhou, in 2014.       Welcome Banquet       Topic 1: Development Strategy of City Internationalization     Topic 2: Urban Transistion and Leap-Foward Development       Topic 3: City Orientation & Investment Direction     Topic 4:  Emergency Relief of Cities       Site of the Conference       Li Xiaolin Conferring Title of Friendship Amassador to Avi Rabinovitch       Friendship Cities Awards Ceremony       Li Xiaolin Signing Memorandum of Cooepration with Carmelo Motta, Secretary General of COPPEM       Li Xiaolin Accepting Paintings of the Children From Wenchuan, the Earthquake Stricken Area       Transmitting Symbol Passing Ceremony  

State Councilor Dai Bingguo Addressing the Closing Ceremony  On August 28, 2012, the first Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation closed in Beijing. State Councilor Dai Bingguo attended the closing ceremony and delivered a speech. Abdul’ahat Abdulrixit, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Chairman of Chinese-African People’s Friendship Association (CAPFA), Uganda’s Vice President Edward Ssekandi and First Vice President of Burundi Therence Sinunguruza attended the closing ceremony. President Li Xiaolin of the CPAFFC Addressing the Closing Ceremony Dai said China-Africa friendship has a long history and a solid foundation. The Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held successfully last month, which lays a more solid foundation for promoting the development of a new type of China-Africa strategic partnership. "Friendly and cooperative Chinese-African relations are a common political treasure and unique strategic advantage belonging to both sides," Dai said. Under the current global situation, China will work with African countries by advancing with the times and forging ahead with innovation to enhance political mutual trust, bolster cooperation in multiple fields and push China-Africa relations to a new level, he said. Signing Ceremony of Agreements on Strategic Cooepration Dai emphasized that the local government cooperation is an important part of China-Africa relations. During the two-day forum, delegates held heated discussions on the theme of "promoting sub-national cooperation for common development" and reached broad consensus. China is ready to work with African countries to give full play to the role of the forum and its relevant mechanisms, actively implement the outcomes of this forum and constantly open up new ways and add new content for China-Africa cooperation. The Beijing Declaration of the First Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation was issued at the closing ceremony. The signing ceremony of agreements on establishing friendly ties between China and Africa at provincial levels was also held. Vice President Feng Zuoku of the CPAFFC Announcing the Beijing Declaration of the First Forun on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation

On August 27, 2012, Vice Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council attended and addressed the opening ceremony of the First Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation. He pointed out that China-Africa cooperation is the type of cooperation between developing countries. The two sides should uphold the concept of mutual trust, mutual benefit and interaction and seize opportunities to promote all-round cooperation in a constructive manner and bring the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership to a new level. Vice Premier Li said in his speech that there is a long history of friendly exchanges between China and Africa and the cooperation between the two sides has seen tremendous progress. As the largest trading partner of Africa, China has made investment in 50 African countries. China is the world’s largest developing country and Africa has the world’s largest group of developing countries. Some African countries have entered the rank of middle-income countries, but there are still many low-income countries in Africa. China also has an obvious regional imbalance in development. China and Africa face similar development and have common development missions. China-Africa cooperation will help both sides revive the economy, attract more attention from the international community to Africa and to developing countries, and propel common development and lasting prosperity of the world. Vice Premier Li Keqiang Delivering Important Speech  Li stressed that China-Africa cooperation is based on mutual respect and equal treatment. Countries, big or small, are equals in the international family. In cooperation with foreign countries, one country should respect the efforts of other countries to explore development paths suited to their respective national conditions and should not interfere in internal affairs of other countries. China attaches no political conditions to its assistance to Africa and is willing to work together with other countries and international organizations to participate in and boost the development of Africa. China-Africa cooperation will present opportunities to both sides and is based on mutual benefit and win-win results. The total population of China and Africa accounts for 1/3 of the world’s population. Both sides enjoyed rapid economic growth in recent years. Both sides have their own development characteristics and enjoy respective advantages. China-Africa cooperation is to expand converging interests, realize common development and achieve win-win results. China and Africa are brothers and partners. China-Africa cooperation will bring tangible benefit to the Chinese and African people and contribute to world peace and development. As a result, China-Africa cooperation will sustain. Li said that the international environment is unstable and the uncertainties are on the rise. The slow pace of global economic growth is showing a long-term trend and has become the biggest immediate problem facing the world. At the same time, a new round of technological revolution is incubating and the overall strength of developing countries is increasing. Under the new situation, China-Africa cooperation, despite of a very complex situation, is facing opportunities to move further upward. Therence Sinunguruza, the First Vice Preisdent of Burundi Addressing the Opening Ceremony Li pointed out that the key to bringing the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership to a new level is to uphold the concept of "mutual trust", "mutual benefit", and "interaction". Mutual trust is based on common strategic interests. The two sides should enhance political mutual trust and strengthen communication and coordination on major international issues. Mutual benefit means that the two sides should implement the agreements and cooperation projects reached at the Fifth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, put more emphasis on driving the balanced cooperation in both resources areas and non-resources areas such as agriculture and the manufacturing sector, and pay more attention to improving the livelihoods of the people and protecting ecological environment. Interaction means that the two sides should strengthen exchanges in education, health, culture, tourism and other related areas, boost the interactions between two great civilizations and consolidate the public opinion foundation for such cooperation. Li stressed that the local government cooperation has become an important part of bilateral relations between China and African countries. China is, as always, willing to strengthen the local government cooperation with African countries and increase the breadth and depth of cooperation. Over the next five years, the two sides will make efforts to double the number of paired friendly cities and China will help Africa train more talents. China and Africa should learn from each other. The two sides will exchange 1,000 local officers, entrepreneurs and people from all walks of life and will extend China-Africa cooperation and friendship from the top to the grassroots and from the government to the people. Before the opening ceremony, Li met with Uganda’s Vice President Edward Ssekandi, First Vice President of Burundi Therence Sinunguruza, and other foreign guests. Li welcomed the guests to participate in the Forum. The foreign guests thanked China for the efforts to host the forum. They expressed the hope to make good use of the platform to expand mutually beneficial cooperation, promote the traditional friendship, and write a new chapter for China-Africa friendship. Li Xiaolin, the President of CPAFFC, Addressing the Opening Ceremony Abdul’ahat Abdulrixit, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Beijing Acting Mayor Wang Anshun, President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Li Xiaolin and other Chinese officials participated in the above activities. The Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation is a platform within the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and with the goal of promoting the exchanges and cooperation between local governments of China and Africa. The Forum is co-organized by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA). About 1,700 people from 40 African countries, 29 Chinese provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities), and related international organizations and institutions attended the opening ceremony. Site of the Opening Ceremony

On the evening of August 27, 2012, the Reception Banquet of the First Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. CPPCC Vice Chairman Abdul’ahat Abdurixit, Uganda’s Vice President Edward Ssekandi, First Vice President of Burundi Therence Sinunguruza, Togo’s former Prime Minister Edem Kodjo and around 1700 delegates from home and abroad of the Forum attended the banquet. Abdul’ahat, the Vice Chairman of the CPPCC, Addressing the Reception Banquet Abdul’ahat, in his address, extended congratulations to the success of the First Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation. He said the convening of the Forum is a milestone in the history of China-Africa relations and will play an active role in deepening China-Africa friendship and pushing forward in an all-round way the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership. Edem Kodjo, the Former Premier of Togo, Addressing the Reception Banquet Kodjo spoke highly of the rapid all-round development of Africa-China relations. He said Africa expects an expansion of cooperation between African and Chinese local communities, and looking for inspiration from the Chinese know-how. CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin and Vice Foreign Minister Zhai Jun also attended the banquet.

The 1st Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation, hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLGA), will be held in Beijing from August 27 to 28, 2012. The launching ceremony and press conference of the Forum was held on July 24. Mdm. Li Xiaolin, President of CPAFFC, Mr. Wu Jiaqi, President of Wenzhou Enterprises Chamber of Commerce in Beijing (BJWZCC) and some African ambassadors and diplomats attended the ceremony. Lauching Ceremony Vice President Feng Zuoku of CPAFFC gave a briefing on the 1st Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation. He hoped that the Forum could serve as a comprehensive platform to promote practical cooperation at the level of local governments, so that the exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and African local governments could be brought to a new height and make new achievements. Vice-President Feng Zuoku Addressing the Lauching Ceremony Executive Vice President Xu Kaiyu of BJWZCC mentioned in his speech that he hoped the Forum could become an important channel for the "Going-out" development of Chinese private enterprises. The Forum is organized by the Chinese-African People’s Friendship Association (CAPFA) and Wenzhou Enterprises Chamber of Commerce in Beijing (BJWZCC), and co-organized by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT). The China-Africa Local Government Summit and the China-Africa Economic & Trade Forum will be held during the Forum. The local government leaders, entrepreneurs and people from various circles of both sides are expected to have extensive discussions about how to conduct practical cooperation, etc.. Vice-President Feng Zuoku and Wang Yan, Vice-President and Secretary-General of Wenzhou Enterprises Chamber of Commerce in Beijing Answering Reporters’ Questions The Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation is the first platform of such kind, within the general framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), for collective dialogue between Chinese and African local government leaders, with the aim to provide a platform of exchanges and cooperation for Chinese and African local government leaders, entrepreneurs and people from all walks of life.

At the invitation of the Chinese People''s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries , a delegation headed by Mr.Vincent C.Gray, Mayor of Washington, D.C. , visited Beijing ,Shanghai and Suzhou from June 24 to July 1, 2012. During their stay in Beijing, on June 25, Mr. Xu Kuangdi, President of the China-US People''s Friendship Association, held a reception in honor of Mayor Gray and the delegation . President Xu Kuangdi welcomed the delegation to China and spoke highly of the positive role of sub-national exchanges in China-US relations. Mayor Gray said, he valued the cooperation with China and the purpose of the visit was to strength economic and trade relations with China and introduce to China the many business opportunities Washington, D.C could offer. During the trip, he was going to reaffirm sister-city cooperative relationship with Beijing, launch Washington DC Center in Shanghai and promote economic and trade exchanges with Suzhou. Representatives of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, Investment Promotion Agency of Ministry of Commerce, Foreign Affairs Office of the People''s Government of Beijing Municipality , Beijing Investment Promotion Bureau and over 20 Chinese and the U.S.entrepreneurs also attended the reception.

meet with H.E. Edward Ssekandi vice-president of Uganda At the invitations of Ministry of Local Government of Uganda, Botswana-China Friendship Association (BOCFA) and Embassy of China in South Africa, a 28-member Delegation of CPAFFC, Chinese Local Government Officials & Entrepreneurs headed by Vice-President Feng Zuoku paid a friendly visit to the above three countries from May 27 to June 7.     joint photo with Adolf Mweigye and successive Ugandan ambassadors to China   During the visit in Uganda, the delegation met with H.E. Mr. Edward Ssekandi, the vice-president of Uganda, Hon. Adolf Mwesigye, the minister of Local Government of Uganda, and were present at Donation Ceremony of 2012 Caring Students Action in Uganda with Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, the Speaker of Council of Uganda. The delegation also attended the 9th Seminar on Exchanges between Chinese and African Local Governments, and met with the Chinese and Ugandan Entrepreneurs. 9th Seminar on Exchanges between Chinese and African Local Governments During the visit in Botswana, the delegation met with Hon. Peter Siele, Minister of Local Government of Botswana, and were present at the welcome banquet held by BOCFA and the luncheon party held for entrepreneurs of both sides by Botswana Confederation of Commerce, Industry and Manpower. The delegation also donated wheelchairs to local government. meeti with Hon. Peter Siele, Minister of Local Government of Botswana During the visit in South Africa, the delegation met with Hon. Richard Baloyi, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs of South Africa, Mr. Xolile George, CEO of South African Local Government Association and Mr. Alderman Ian Neilson, Executive Deputy Mayor of Cape Town. The delegation also had a working meeting with Mr. Yunus Carrim, Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs of South Africa.    working meeting with Mr. Yunus Carrim, Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs of South Africa Mr. Xolile George, CEO of South African Local Government Association   Donation Ceremony of 2012 Caring Students Action in Uganda donate wheelchairs to BOCFA        

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Israel. At the invitation of the CPAFFC, Shlomo Bohbot, President of the Union of Local Authorities in Israel (ULAI) and Mayor of Ma’alot-Tarshiha, led the 12-member Israeli mayor delegation on a goodwill visit to Beijing and Shanghai from March 20 to 27. The mayors wanted to learn China’s experience in urban and rural construction, carry out cultural exchanges, and promote further cooperation at the local government level. In Beijing, they met CPAFFC Vice President Feng Zuoku, who said the Jewish people had a long history and culture; over the past two decades, bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields had grown continually—for example, the 14 pairs of friendship-city ties, and another 20 pairs engaged in informal friendly exchanges. He hoped the two sides would closely cooperate for new achievements. President Bohbot said the Chinese people selflessly had offered help to the Jewish people when they suffered persecution, which would never be forgotten in Israel. During the meeting with the Ministry of Railways, the Mayor of Eilat, Meir Yitzhak Havlevi, briefly introduced the government-funded urban railroad project in southern Israel and its great significance not only to the city of Eilat but also the overall development of Israel. He hoped China could provide relevant assistance. The delegation had discussions with leading members of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Finance and the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development (BMCTD), exchanging views on issues such as taxation, distribution of social security funds and organizing China-Israel tourism forum. The delegation showed keen interest in the rapid development of the tourist industry in Beijing, and invited the BMCTD to make site visits to Israel and conduct tourist promotion activities. The delegation also inspected the biogas station of Daxing Liuminying eco-farm, and held a discussion on the development of the rural economy and the improvement of living conditions for rural residents. They agreed China had made rapid progress in rural development and that the installation of new energy facilities had greatly improved residents’ lives. Some members who had visited Beijing several years ago were amazed at the incredible speed of its development. The delegation was very concerned about how to maintain urban environmental sanitation and disposal of household refuse. During talks with relevant officials of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Landscaping and City Appearance and the Shanghai Housing Administration, President Bohbot said the delegation had seen a clean and tidy city, and learned that Shanghai had a complete waste separation and waste transport system as well as publicity system to help residents with garbage classification. These were successful experiences worth learning. Israel is small in area but with a comparatively large population. As large numbers of Jews return to live in Israel from Europe and other parts of the world, cities face issues concerning land allocation to solve the housing problem, so China’s effective basic housing policies were worth studying. During the visit, the delegation had meetings with teachers and students majoring in Hebrew at Peking University, and those studying Hebrew and Arabic at the Shanghai International Studies University. President Bohbot told them that the ULAI would provide scholarships so some Chinese students could live and study in Jewish and Arab cities in Israel for one to three months. They would experience Israel culture while teaching Chinese language and culture to local people, thus, furthering bilateral friendly exchanges. On the recommendation of Jackie Eldan, Consul General of Israel in Shanghai, the leading members of the Foreign Affairs Office of Huzhou  City and Simon Alfasi, Mayor of Yokneam, exchanged opinions on the establishment of friendship-city ties. The delegation attended the reception celebrating the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Israel jointly held by the CPAFFC and the Israeli Embassy in China. The visitors felt their tour had been well arranged with rich content that was rewarding. They had got to know more about the history of the exchanges between China and Israel, witnessed achievements in China’s rural and urban construction, learned the experience of the country’s urban and rural development, and strengthened the friendly ties between the ULAI and the CPAFFC.

Sri Lankan Minister of Rural Affairs Athauda Seneviratne, a strong supporter of the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social and Cultural Cooperation (ASLCSCC), led an Association goodwill delegation to Beijing, and Hunan and Guangdong Provinces from March 7 to 14. ASLCSCC President Indrananda Abeysekera accompanied the delegation. Recalling Traditional Sino-Sri Lankan Friendship Feng Zuoku, Vice President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, met with the delegation in Beijing, and extended a warm welcome. He said, China and Sri Lanka enjoyed traditional friendly relations and the two peoples maintained deep friendship. In the new era, the CPAFFC and the ASLCSCC carried out many friendly activities rich in content and variety, enhancing the relationship. He believed the latest visit would undoubtedly further the friendship between the two countries. Minister Seneviratne thanked the CPAFFC for its invitation and good arrangements for the trip. In 1950 soon after the founding of the PRC, Sri Lanka had extended formal recognition, he noted. In 1952, when the two countries had not yet established full diplomatic relations, and despite the Western blockade of China, Sri Lanka stood firm against all the pressure and signed a Rice-Rubber Barter Agreement with China that became a much-told tale in the history of the development of friendship between the two countries. Whenever China suffered from grave natural disasters, Sri Lanka always offered whatever help it could, while China had also given great help to Sri Lanka to survive hard times. For three decades, the government of Sri Lanka had struggled to put down domestic terrorist groups at home. Western countries had imposed numerous restrictions, but China had extended a timely helping hand for the government to finally realize peace and unity in the country. The basis of bilateral friendship had been consolidated by mutual support in hard times, an example of the saying: “A friend in need is a friend indeed”. Minister Seneviratne showed great admiration for China’s achievements in economic construction. He said, Chairman Mao and other leaders of the first generation established the socialist system, enabling the Chinese people to stand like giants in the East; Deng Xiaoping set up the reform and opening-up policy and the socialist market economy that led to China’s immense achievements in economic development. At the moment when the Western developed countries all faced recession and crisis, China’s economic success had been outstanding. Though China was becoming stronger day by day, however, it never forgot old friends. In the new era, it provided selfless aid to Sri Lanka in the fields of agriculture, mining, infrastructure, etc. It helped build the Bandaranaike Memorial International Convention Hall, the Mahinda Rajapakse Performing Art Center, the Port of Hambantota, and the Puttalam Coal Power Plant. As domestic peace prevailed, the Sri Lankan Government welcomed more Chinese enterprises to invest, actively participating in the country’s economic construction. Enhancing Pragmatic Cooperation Invited by the CPAFFC, the ASLCSCC delegation’s visit not only brought the two organizations closer together, but also firmly strengthened exchanges and cooperation in various aspects.  Furthering cooperation with the CPAFFC. This year marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Sri Lanka and the 15th anniversary of the ASLCSCC. During the delegation’s stay in China, it presented a plaque of friendship to CPAFFC Vice President Feng Zuoku to express gratitude for the contribution made by the CPAFFC in promoting friendly exchanges and understanding between the Chinese and Sri Lankan people. ASLCSCC President Abeysekera submitted to Vice President Feng Zuoku a proposal about the holding of Sri Lanka-China Friendship Forum jointly initiated by the ASLCSCC and the Sri Lanka-China Society, and extended a formal invitation to the Vice President to visit Sri Lanka and attend the First Sri Lanka-China Friendship Forum. Strengthening Contacts with Beijing. In Beijing, the delegation attended the opening ceremony of the Photo Exhibition of Sri Lankan Scenery held by the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (BPAFFC), at which it conferred the title of Special Honorary Council Member of the BPAFFC on President Abeysekera. Li Xin, Deputy Magistrate of Mentougou District, Beijing, met with the delegation and talked about establishing friendship-city relations between the Mentougou and Kegalle District of Sabaragamuwa Province. The district government of Mentougou also signed a Letter of Intent on Friendly Exchanges with the ASLCSCC. Strengthening Education Exchanges In Hunan, Minister Seneviratne paid a visit to Central South University, and delivered a speech entitled “Friendship Between Sri Lanka and China and the Current cooperation and Development” to 400 students and faculty, who warmly applauded many times. On behalf of the ASLCSCC, he gave subsidy to six students who needed help. Consolidating Exchanges and Cooperation in Buddhist Culture. In Beijing, the delegation members and the Abbot of Jietai Temple recalled the long history of exchanges of Buddhist culture between Sri Lanka and China, reaffirming the enthusiasm and willingness of both sides in developing exchanges. In Guangzhou, the ASLCSCC delegation presented a statue of a Sri Lankan Buddha to Liurong Temple. The monks and followers lined up in front of the gate of the temple, holding beads and flowers and chanting the hymns of Buddhist teachings, welcoming the statue to the temple.

From February 13 to 15, the Sichuan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (SIFA) received a Muaythai cultural delegation headed by Thanadej Puangpool, advisor to Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit and representative of the World Muaythai Council. Thai boxing is a form of martial art of global fame, and, every year the World Muaythai Council holds an international championships and publicizes Muaythai culture by training boxers and organizing matches in various countries. Sino-Thai friendship goes back to ancient times. In recent years, friendly exchanges between Sichuan and Thailand have developed continuously with fruitful results. Meeting the delegation, SIFA President Qin Lin noted that one such was inviting Thai friends to visit Chengdu to publicize Thai boxing culture for enhancing mutual understanding and boosting friendly cooperation. While in Chengdu, the delegation visited Daci Temple, which actively carries out friendly exchanges with Thailand. Every year on the birthdays of Thai King and Queen, local Thais go to the Daci Temple to offer birthday congratulations and pray for their majesties. After the Wenchuan earthquake, Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn presented a gold gilded statue of Buddha as a gift to the Temple and as a prayer for the people in Sichuan. When Thailand suffered severe floods last year, the Temple’s Abbot Shi Da’en donated 200,000 yuan to Princess Sirindhorn, the Thai Red Cross Society and the Thai Wat Phra Dhammakaya. Last year on the Thai National Day, the Consulate-General in Chengdu conferred the honorary title and certificate of International Friend for China-Thailand Friendship upon Shi Da’en. The members of the delegation looked with great reverence at the Buddha presented by Princess Sirindhorn, accepted the blessings given by Abbot Shi Da’en and donated 10,000 yuan to the Temple. They also visited Chengdu University to meet Tu Huoming, Secretary of the CPC Committee of the university. The two sides discussed setting up a Muaythai training center to teach Thai boxing in the university and signed a memorandum of intent. The delegation visited the Sirindhorn Thai Language and Culture Class and the Thai Language and Culture Center set up in the College of Foreign Languages & Cultures. They also inspected the indoor stadium and gymnasium in the School of Physical Education. Delegation leader Puangpool said happily that Chengdu University had done a great deal of work to boost Thailand-China friendship, especially inviting Princess Sirindhorn to visit. “We feel greatly honored and very warm. The Thai language teaching offered by the university has provided a basis for us to promote Muaythai culture. We expect that the cooperation between our two sides can progress smoothly and achieve success.”