On January 12th, Vice President Xie Yuan met with President Stephen Lakis of the State Legislative Leaders Foundation(SLLF). VP Xie highly commended the important role that sub-national legislative exchange mechanism has played in China-U.S. sub-national cooperation. As an important outcome of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to the U.S. in September 2015, the 1st China-U.S.Sub-national Legislatures Cooperation Forum was successfully held in 2016 in the U.S., and laid a solid foundation for the implementation of the cooperation mechanism.CPAFFC and SLLF are going to co-host the 2nd Forum in Wuhan city, Hubei Province in September this year.VP Xie expressed his expectations to the upcoming Forum, and hoped to work together with SLLF to bring more practical cooperation at the sub-national level, and contribute to  China-U.S.relations. President Lakis of SLLF said, U.S. will greet a new President this year which ushers in a new historical moment for U.S.-China relations. At this special junction, sub-national cooperation is even more important to the bilateral relationship. He would like to work with CPAFFC to deepen the U.S.-China sub-national legislative exchange mechanism, as well as sub-national exchanges and cooperation. 

On January 12th, witnessed by General Secretary Xi Jinping of CPC Central Commitee and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President Li Xiaolin and Mr.Don Tuan Phong, Executive Vice Chairman and Secretary General of Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations(VUFO) signed the MOU of Cooperation between CPAFFC and VUFO from 2017 to 2021 in the Great Hall of the People. The MOU reviewed the achievement and experience between the two sides’cooperation from 2013 to 2016 and set the blueprint for exchange and cooperation plans in next 5 years in politics,economy and trade, culture, youth and etc.

In order to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and Five Central Asian States including the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Kyrgyz and the Republic of Turkmenistan, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) held a reception with Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and China-Central Asia Friendship Association (CCAFA) in Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on January 10th, 2017. About 250 guests including Mr. Luo Fuhe, Vice-Chairman of CPPCC, Mme. Li Xiaolin, President of CPAFFC, Mr. Li Huilai, Assistant Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Mr. Zhang Deguang, President of CCAFA and Mr. D. Kurbanov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan Embassy in China, Mr. S. Nurishev, Ambassador of Kazakhstan Embassy in China, Mr. P. Davlatzoda, Ambassador of Tajikistan Embassy in China, Mme. C. Rustamova, Ambassador of Turkmenistan Embassy in China, Mr.B.Bekbolotov, Charge d’affaires a.i. of Kyrgyz Embassy in China, Mr. S. Imandossov, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, attended the reception. CPPCC Vice-Chairman Luo Fuhe and the five ambassadors to China delivered speeches respectively; CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin and the five ambassadors to China commonly unveiled the plaque for the commemorative envelope marking the establishment of China and Five Central Asian States. Mr. Song Jingwu, Vice President of CPAFFC and CCAFA, presided over the reception. Several media, such as China Central Television (CCTV), Xinhua News Agency, China News Service (CNS), China Radio International (CRI), China National Radio (CNR), People.cn, China.org.cn, reported the reception.

On the evening of January 10th，the Chinese New Year Reception and Zigong Lantern Festival’s Global Launching Ceremony was successfully held in Beijing. The event was hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and organized by Information Office of Sichuan Provincial People’s Government, the Sichuan People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, and Zigong Municipal People’s Government. Representatives from China’s Ministry of Culture and the State Council Information Office, 46 embassies in China, 13 foreign chambers of commerce and associations in Beijing, and over 50 media from home and abroad attended the Reception. At the reception, CPAFFC’s President Li Xiaolin said that CPAFFC aims at creating more opportunities to present more Chinese local traditions and cultures to foreign friends. President Li Xiaolin, Deputy Secretary General of Sichuan Provincial Government Zhao Weiping, Secretary of the Zigong Municipal Party Committee Li Gang, Deputy Secretary of the Zigong Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Zigong Municipality Liu Yongxiang jointly launched the Zigong Lantern Festival’s Global Campaign. CPAFFC and the Zigong Municipal Government signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement to promote Zigong Lantern Festival globally. Remarks by CPAFFC's President Li Xiaolin President Li Xiaolin and Mayor of Zigong signed the strategic cooperation framework agreement Zigong Lantern Festival’s Global Launching Ceremony At the Reception Zigong Lantern Zigong Lantern Zigong Lantern

-- in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China As the first of the major events led by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China, a ballet drama Crested Ibises was performed by Shanghai Dance Theatre in Hong Kong On January 6 and 7. Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Committee Mr. Tung Chee-hwa , President of the CPAFFC Mme. Li Xiaolin and Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Mr. Song Ru’an attended the performance. Around 1400 people watched the show.  The ballet drama tells a story of human and crested ibises in the context of agrarian and industrial ages, inspiring the audience to raise concern over environmental protection, and have a strong sense of harmonious co-existence between man and nature.‘If the Swan Lake is expressed in an universal language, then the Crested Ibises is telling a universal story in a Chinese way’, said the lead dancer Ju Jiejing.  The ballet drama was jointly produced by the CPAFFC, the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Committee and Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group, and presented by Shanghai Dance Theatre. Since its premiere in 2014, the drama has been staged over 140 times. 

On January 6th, Vice President Xie Yuan had a meeting with K. K. Chua, president of Mary Kay Asia Pacific.  After briefing about the fruitful results the CPAFFC has made in pushing forward China-U.S. sub-national exchanges and cooperation, Vice President Xie pointed out that economic and trade cooperation is an important pillar in China-U.S. relationship and the bilateral subnational exchanges as well. He hoped that Mary Kay will continue to maintain a healthy China-U.S. economic and trade cooperation and make greater contributions to the bilateral relationship after the U.S. new administration comes into office.  President Chua talked about the clear view held by Mary Kay on the importance of stable U.S-China relations to the growth of U.S. companies in China since its entrance into the Chinese market in 1995. Mary Kay will carry forward its efforts in delivering positive messages to the U.S. business and political circles and make unremitting contributions to the U.S.-China relations. 

Vice President Xie Yuan met with Columbia SIPA China Delegation on January 4, 2017. Vice President Xie briefed the delegation on CPAFFC basics. He said that China-US relationship is one of the most important bilateral relationship in the world. CPAFFC has been dedicated to enhancing mutual understanding and trust between the people, especially the young people of the two countries. He hoped delegation members take this trip to China as an opportunity to learn more about Chinese politics, economics and culture, contributing youth wisdom and strength to the development of China-US relations. Nicholas Reinhold, a graduate student at Columbia SIPA pursuing a Masters in International Affairs, on behalf of the delegation, thanked CPAFFC for its warm reception. He said, most of the members of the Delegation were on their first visit to China, expecting more opportunities to visit China in the future. He also hoped to leverage their expertise to promote the development of US-China relations.

On December 31, Vice President Xie Yuan attended the 21st Beijing New Year’s Concert at the Great Hall of the People. Co-produced by the CPAFFC, Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co.,Ltd. and Beijing Beiao Group, this concert featured the 84-year-old Polish composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki, Beethoven Festival Orchestra, and Chinese pianist Wu Muye.. Before the performance, Vice President Xie met with the conductor. He extended his warm welcome to Mr Penderecki heading the orchestra on their visit to China. He thanked them for bringing a world-class concert of Beethoven’s music to the audience in Beijing, and appreciated the efforts they made for the friendship and artistic exchanges between Chinese and Polish people.  As a tribute to Beethoven on the eve of the year that marks the 190th anniversary of his death, Penderecki selected a vast repertoire of his masterpieces - Creatures of Prometheus, Symphony No 4 in B-flat Major Op.60, Piano concerto No 5 in E flat Op. 73, and Symphony No 7 in A major. Cooperating with Pianist Wu, he also sent new year greetings with a Chinese piece Ode to the Red Flag to the delight of the audience. 

The 2017 Beijing New Year’s Ballet Swan Lake was put on stage on Dec 30 at the Great Hall of the People, which was jointly produced by the CPAFFC, Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co.,Ltd. and Beijing Beiao Group.  The performance given by Ukraine's Kiev Ballet, also known as the National Ballet of Ukraine, had attracted over 6,000 people. The famous Dance of the Swans and the highly difficult 32 fouetté turns perfromed by the troupe won loud applause.  Founded in 1867, Kiev Ballet is renowned for its world-class presentation of classical ballet. Under the renowned choreographers Serguey Sergueev and Vakhtang Vronskiy, it is among the  most distinguished ballet groups in the world. 

CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin met with the Shenzhen Japanese CCI delegation led by President Murayama Yuzo and Supreme Consultant SAKASITA SIGENOBU on the afternoon of December 28th. The Shenzhen Japanese CCI was founded in 1988. There are 430 corporate memberships and 4 branches. The total sales reached to 99.5 billion Yen. 160 thousand Chinese employees worked there. The Shenzhen Japanese CCI has kept a long-term cooperative relationship with CPAFFC and jointly held two sessions of Exchange Conferences on China’s Policies for Foreign Enterprises. Mr. Li Ruihuan, then-Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) spoke highly of the conferences at the time he was presented. During the meeting, President Murayama Yuzo and Consultant SAKASITA SIGENOBU introduced their plans about the third exchange conference will be held on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations in the next year. CPAFFC President Li spoke highly of the contributions SAKASITA SIGENOBU and the Shenzhen Japanese CCI have made for a long time to the Sino-Japanese friendship cause. She said, CPAFFC will hold series of exchange activities in next year. We would like to work together with the Shenzhen Japanese CCI to hold the third exchange conference. President Li also expressed that the two countries have a large space to cooperate in fields of the elderly care, child health care, food safety, cultural exchange and environmental protection and so on. Both sides had an in-depth discussion on how to further cooperate. Mr. Hu Sishe, Vice President of CPAFFC, Mr. Zhang Juxiang, Director General of China Service Center for Friendship and Cooperation with Foreign Countries of CPAFFC, Mr. Takashi Masuda, Council Member of the Shenzhen Japanese CCI and Mr. Ryoichi NAKAMURA, Secretary General of the Shenzhen Japanese CCI, attended the meeting.