H.E. Mr. Arken Imirbaki, Vice Chairman of Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NOC) and President of the Chinese-Arab Friendship Association (CAFA) met with His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai on 28 March. Mr. Arken conveyed the cordial greetings from Premier Li Keqiang and Vice President Li Yuanchao to Sheikh Mohammed. He thanked Sheikh Mohammad for his long-term efforts in promoting friendly relations between China and the UAE. He said, China would like to work together with UAE to enhance mutual understanding and trust between people of our two countries by encouraging bilateral exchanges in the field of politics, trade and economy, education, tourism, youth, etc. Mr. Arken  expressed appreciation for the economic developments and achievements of the UAE in the past years, and hoped to see the UAE become the nodal point of the Gulf countries in the construction of “One Belt One Road” Initiative.  Sheikh Mohammad said that the UAE highly values its relations with China, and is willing to participate actively in the construction of “One Belt One Road” Initiative, working hand in hand with China for the well-being of our peoples. Mr. Chang Hua, China’s Ambassador to the UAE, Mme. Lin Yi, Vice President of the CPAFFC, Mr. Li Lingbing, Consul General of China to Dubai, Madam Amal Al Qubaisi, Speaker of the Federal National Council of the UAE, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rahid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, and Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rahid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, were present.

H.E. Mr. Arken Imirbaki, Vice Chairman of Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NOC) and President of the Chinese-Arab Friendship Association (CAFA) met with Madam Amal Al Qubaisi, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 27 March during his visit in UAE.  Mr. Arken conveyed Chairman H.E. Mr. Zhang Dejiang’s cordial greetings from the NPC Standing Committee. He said, since the establishment of strategic partnership between China and UAE, notable achievements have been made through bilateral cooperation in various fields. The UAE is an important participant in the construction of the “One Belt One Road” Initiative, as well as one of the founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. We believe there will be broader prospect for bilateral cooperation in the future. We appreciate UAE’s  firm supports to China in issues related to Xinjiang, Tibet and Taiwan. China attaches great importance to the development of China-UAE relations, and would like to strengthen bilateral cooperation in parliamentary as well as people-to-people exchanges. Mr. Arken stressed that, during the full implementation of the 13th Five Year Plan, we would like to promote common development of the whole world, adhering to the five development concept of innovation, harmonization, green, openness and sharing. Madam Qubaisi conveyed Crown Prince Mohammed’s regards from Abu Dhabi to H.E. Mr. Arken. She thanked China for supporting UAE in international affairs and upholding a just stand regarding anti-terrorism issues. The UAE is willing to actively participate in the construction of the “One Belt One Road” Initiative, and be a gateway for cooperation between China and the Gulf countries. The FNC highly values UAE-China relations and has set up the Parliament Group on UAE-China Friendship in particular, with the hope that the China’s NPC could also establish a corresponding department for comprehensive cooperation between the FNC and NPC for the benefits of people from both countries. Mr. Chang Hua, China’s Ambassador to the UAE, Mme. Lin Yi, Vice President of the CPAFFC, and members of FNC Parliament Group on UAE-China Friendship were present.

At the invitation of the Oman-China Friendship Association (OCFA), H.E. Mr. Arken Imirbaki, Vice Chairman of Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and President of the Chinese-Arab Friendship Association (CAFA) paid a friendship visit to the Sultanate of Oman between 23rd and 26th March. During the visit, Mr. Arken met with State Council Vice-Chairman Dr. Al Shaikh al Khattab Ghalib Ali al Hinai, Secretary General of the State Council and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the OCFA Dr. Khalid bin Salim al Saidi, and Chairman of the Oman Chamber of Commerce Mr. Said Saleh Al Kiyumi respectively. At the meeting, Mr. Arken pointed out that as one of the Gulf countries with the longest history, Oman is an important partner of China in the construction of the “One Belt One Road” Initiative. China highly values its relations with Oman, and would like to keep the momentum of bilateral exchanges in all fields, deepen our cooperation for mutual benefits, and push forward the development of China-Oman friendly cooperation.   Dr. Hinai welcomed the visit of Mr. Arken and his accompanying delegation. He said, Oman and China enjoy long-standing friendship and smooth development of cooperative relations in all sectors. Oman is willing to participate in the “One Belt One Road” construction, and conduct cooperation with China under this framework. Oman highly appreciates CAFA and OCFA’s role in enhancing people-to-people friendship through the promotion of bilateral exchanges and cooperation at the non-governmental level.  Mr. Yu Fulong, Chinese Ambassador to Oman was present.

At the invitation of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), Mr. Ezzeddine Jebali, President of the Tunisia-China Friendship Association (TCFA) led a 14-member delegation visited China from March 20th to 26th, 2016. In Beijing, Madam Lin Yi, Vice President of the CPAFFC met with and hosted a luncheon for the delegation. Mr. Tarek Amri, Ambassador of Tunisia was also present at the function. At the end of the meeting, representatives of the three parties, Vice President Lin Yi, President Jebali of the TCFA and Mayor Mr. Mabrouk Mimouni of Sukra City signed the Communiqué of the Meeting. During their visit in Beijing, President Jebali also met with Mr. Xia Jianhui, Deputy Director General of Hanban for promoting the establishment of Confucius Institute in Tunisia and discussed with relevant persons from the International Exchange Center of the Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine about the establishment of Chinese Medicine Treatment Center in Tunisia. Other members of the delegation visited Beijing Municipal Bureau of Agriculture, Sinotrans Logistics Development Co.,Ltd, Dongcheng District Urban Management and Supervision Center and Niujie Mosque, exploring chances for cooperation. Beside Beijing, the delegation also visited Shaanxi Province. Mr. Zhang Jianguo, Vice President of Shaanxi People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Mr. Liu Qing, Deputy Director General of the Administrative Committee of the Yangling Demonstration Zone, Mr. Liu Xinyu, Deputy Mayor of Xianyang City and Mr. Wang Xiaojun, Deputy Mayor of Weinan City met with the delegation respectively and held discussions regarding bilateral cooperation in the fields of economy, agriculture, education, medicine and others. Establishment of bilateral friendship cities were also discussed.

On March 24th, Vice President Hu Sishe met with Mrs Bernardie-Tahir, Vice President of University of Limoges. Vice President Hu briefed Mrs Bernardie-Tahir on CPAFFC’s engagement in cultural cooperations with European countries, in particular with France and Germany.  Mrs Bernardie-Tahir expressed her wish for Hu’s continuing interest in the exchanges the University has with Chinese counterparts. She recommended Festival des Théatre de la Froncophonie, L’école Nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, and the city’s library for further cooperation between the CPAFFC and Limoges. They also discussed the possibility of bilateral exchanges of university students and young civil servants, and Sino-France Cultural Forum. Mrs Bernardie-Tahir hoped that the city of Limoges would be another channel through which the CPAFFC carries out China- France cultural activities.

  Vice President Xie Yuan met with students from Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago on March 21, 2016. Vice President Xie briefed the students on CPAFFC. He said that although China-U.S. diplomatic relationship has undergone ups and towns since its establishment in 1979, it has come to the best time in history. CPAFFC is striving to promote mutual-understanding and mutual-trust between the people of the two countries. By nurturing objective and in-depth understanding between young students of both countries, CPAFFC hopes to sow seeds of peace and hope into the soil of China-U.S. relations. Adam Lechnir, second year MPP at Chicago Harris, on behalf of the Harris team, expressed his appreciation for the warm reception extended by CPAFFC. He said, some members of the delegation were from the U.S., while some were from other countries. For all of them, this was their first trip to China. They highly cherished this opportunity, hoping to make full use of every minute to deepen their understanding about China.

On March 17, Mr. Zhang Heqiang, Director General of Department of American and Oceanian Affairs of The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), attended the opening ceremony of Harvard Model United Nations China Conference 2016  co-hosted by CPAFFC and Harvard International Relations Council. HMUN China builds on decades of experience. In 1927, Harvard held its first annual Model League of Nations, followed by the first Model United Nations Conference in 1953 and the first Model United Nations China conference in 2010. In his welcome remarks, Director General Zhang Heqiang welcomed students and teachers from around the world. He emphasized the significant contribution the United Nations has made to international development since its founding and encouraged the delegates at HMUN China to actively embody its mission and guiding principles in their own studies and personal development. He also announced that as part of the “Every Woman Every Child” China Partnership Network (CPN), CPAFFC sponsored 5 outstanding students from underprivileged families in Hebei Province to attend HMUN China 2016, granting these students the same opportunity to learn about the United Nations and international affairs while interacting with students of their age from 10 countries across 4 continents. Secretary-General of HMUN China Mr. RJ Teoh said in his opening remarks that delegates at HMUN China research, debate, negotiate, and work together to draft resolutions that address some of society’s most complex issues, while building skills in public speaking, writing, and teamwork. HMUN China is also the first nation-based spin off of Harvard MUN, with a founding goal of satisfying the desire of Chinese students to participate in Model United Nations and international students to learn about and understand Chinese culture and perspectives on international relations.  Also attending the opening ceremony were Founder and Chairman of the Chi-Heng Foundation Chung To and Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Partners Education Ethan Feng, who made warm remarks on behalf of their organizations. These speeches were followed by an artistic treat brought by the Peking University Acapella Group.

On March 15, H.E. Mr. Abdul’ahat Abdurixit, Former Vice Chairman of CPPCC and President of the Chinese-African People’s Friendship Association (CAPFA) met with the delegation led by H.E. Mr. Jose De Vasconcelos, Minister of Petroleum of Angola. Abdul’ahat welcomed Vasconcelos and his delegation and thanked him for his long-term support to the development of the Chinese enterprises operating in Angola. He said that Vasconcelos is both a good friend of Chinese people and a good partner of Chinese enterprises. The Chinese government attaches great importance to China-Angola relations, and the CAPFA specially set up the China-Angola friendship association to strengthen its cooperation with Angola. Abdul’ahat also hoped that Vasconcelos will continue to support bilateral pragmatic cooperation and maintain exchanges with the association, so as to jointly promote China-Angola people-to-people exchanges. In addition, he briefed the delegation on the NPC and CPPCC sessions in 2016, as well as the outline and development concepts of the 13th Five-Year Plan. Vasconcelos thanked the CPAFFC and the CAPFA for inviting him to visit China. He said that through the visits to the enterprises specialized in developing shallow sea oil field and energy, he gained a deeper understanding of and learned more about China’s successful experiences, advanced equipment and technology in exploiting land-based oil. Under the framework of Angola-China strategic partnership, he would take this visit as an opportunity to promote the pragmatic cooperation between Angola and China with oil industry as the focus, introduce China’s advanced technology and equipment to Angola and exploit oil and gas resources in Angola jointly with China. He also said that he would try his best to cooperate with the CAPFA. During the meeting, the two sides also exchanged in-depth views on issues such as China-Angola local government cooperation and international oil price. Mme. Lin Yi, Vice President of the CPAFFC and the CAPFA, Mr. Sun Xueqing, Deputy Director General of Asian and African Affairs Department of the CPAFFC, Mr. Yi Huichang, Vice President of China-Angola Friendship Association were present.

On 14th March, Mr. Xie Yuan, Vice President of CPAFFC met with Mr. Federico Pinedo, President Por Tempore of Senate during his friendly visit to Argentina. Mr. Xie briefed about general work of CPAFFC and expressed the willingness to promote friendly exchanges, including sister city relationship with Argentina. Mr. Federico Pinedo welcomed Mr. Xie’s visit to the Senate. He said that Argentine government had paid high attention to the relations with China and planned to establish Argentina-China Friendship Group within the Senate this year. Local governments’ cooperation, such as setting up sister cities’ relations with Chinese side is also supported by Argentine Government.  

  The 17th Lecture Tour by African Ambassadors, sponsored by the CPAFFC and organized by Chengdu People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, was held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province on 9 March, 2016. H.E. Ms.Dolana Msimang, Ambassador of South Africa to China, H.E. Mrs.Winnie N. Chibesakunda, Ambassador of Zambia to China, Mr. O. O. Orevba, Charge d'Affaires of Embassy of Nigeria in China, Mme. Kumba Alice Momoh, Charge d'Affaires of Embassy of Sierra Leone in China and officials from relevant departments of Chengdu Municipal People’s Government and businessmen totaling around 100 attended the function. Mr. Xie Ruiwu, Vice Mayor of Chengdu City, introduced the economic and social development of Chengdu and its cooperation with Africa. During the function, the ambassadors and diplomats introduced the overview and investment policies of their countries, expressed their hopes to strengthen the exchanges and cooperation with Chengdu and extended their warm welcome to Chengdu businessmen to invest in Africa. They also exchanged views with the audience during the Q&A session. Mr. Zhou Pingjian, Deputy Director-General of African Department of Foreign Affairs Ministry introduced the China-Africa cooperation. Chengdu Daily and other local media interviewed the diplomats and covered this event. The delegation also paid a study visit to Chengdu City Planning Exhibition Hall, Chengdu No.9 Sewage Treatment Plant, Agricultural Machinery Industrial Park and Furniture Industrial Park in Xindu District and the 18th Healthcare Expo China West.