ＣＰＡＦＦＣ Ｖｉｃｅ Ｐｒｅｓｉｄｅｎｔ Ｗａｎｇ Ｙｕｎｚｅ ａｎｄ Ｈｉｓ Ｐａｒｔｙ ｉｎ Ｃａｍｂｏｄｉａ ａｎｄ Ｔｈａｉｌａｎｄ

At the invitation of Princess Norodom Buppha Devi， president of the Cambodia-China Friendship Association (CCFA)， and Nuttapash Amnuay Intuputi， president of the National Council on Social Welfare of Thailand， a CPAFFC delegation headed by its vice president Wang Yunze paid a friendly visit to Cambodia and Thailand from January 10 to 20， 2007.

Long Visalo， secretary of state of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia， Princess Norodom Buppha Devi， president of the CCFA， Tep Ngorn， vice president of Senate and vice president of the CCFA， met with the delegation together. Vice President Tep Ngorn and Congressman Khek Vandy， husband of Princess Buppha Devi， entertained the delegation on separate occasions. The delegation also called on the China Hong Kong and Macau Expatriate and Business Association of Cambodia and the Association of Khmer Chinese in Cambodia.

Nuttapash Amnuay Intuputi， president of the National Council on Social Welfare of Thailand， had a working conference with the delegation and hosted a banquet in its honour. Dr. Ackaratorn Chularat， president of the Supreme Administrative Court， Paisal Puechmongkol， vice president of the Thai-Chinese Culture and Economy Association， Maleeratna Plumchitchom， president of Business and Professional Women’s Association of Thailand， Anan Pummawan， president of the Advisory Committee of Burapha Alumni Association， respectively hosted banquets in honour of the delegation. The delegation went to Chiang Rai where it visited the Sirindhorn Centre on Chinese Language and Culture at Mae Fah Luang University and Chonburi Province where it toured Burapha University.

Traditional Friendship Further Enhanced

In his meeting with the delegation， Long Visalo， secretary of state of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia， first of all， extended warm welcome to the delegation on behalf of the Cambodian foreign minister who was attending the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines. He said， the people of Cambodia and China sympathized with and supported each other when Cambodia was under the French colonial rule and China suffering from the Japanese aggression. With the concerted efforts made by King Norodom Sihanouk and Premier Zhou Enlai， the friendly relations between the two countries developed by leaps and bounds. After the civil war in Cambodia， the Chinese Government provided a large amount of assistance to Cambodia with no strings attached， which made it possible for Cambodia to score major achievements in rebuilding its economy and infrastructural facilities. He added， Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks highly of China’s contributions to the political stability and economic development of Cambodia. Long Visalo stressed， China’s selfless assistance to Cambodia has set an example for other countries in giving aid to Cambodia and the development of China will benefit the poor countries in the world.

CPAFFC Vice President Wang Yunze said， the friendship between China and Cambodia dates back to ancient times. Norodom Sihanouk， former King of Cambodia， maintains good relations with several generations of Chinese leaders. Since the beginning of the new century， there have been continuous high-level exchanges of visits between the two countries. In April 2006， Premier Wen Jiabao visited Cambodia. The two sides issued the Joint Communiqué， announcing the establishment of a comprehensive cooperative partnership， which signaled a new period of development of bilateral relations. At the end of October 2006 Prime Minister Hun Sen went to Nanning to attend the Commemorative Summit Marking the 15th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Dialogue Relations and paid a visit to China marking a new step forward in strengthening Sino-Cambodian friendly relations.

In meeting with the delegation， Nuttapash Intuputi， president of the National Council on Social Welfare of Thailand， said， Thailand and China are close neighbours. There is a long history of friendly contact between the two peoples. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries， both governmental and nongovernmental exchanges and cooperation in all fields have developed rapidly. The frequent exchanges of visits between the leaders of the two countries have played an irreplaceable role in deepening bilateral relations. The contact between the Thai and Chinese people is as frequent as between kinsfolk. Such friendly exchanges have laid a solid foundation for the friendship and cooperation between the two countries. Thailand-China relationship has become an example of good-neighbourly friendship between countries in the world.

Vice President Wang said， being close neighbours with ties of kinship and cultural contact， China and Thailand have enjoyed good-neighbourly and friendly relations since ancient times. In the past 30 years and more since the establishment of diplomatic relations， the two countries have always trusted each other and treated each other sincerely despite the volatile international situation. China attaches great importance to Sino-Thai relations and is willing to make concerted effort with Thailand to raise the level of bilateral cooperation so that the two countries will remain good neighbours， good friends， good partners and good brothers.

While in Cambodia and Thailand， Wang Yunze reiterated on many occasions China’s policies of “pursuing good neighbourly relations and partnership with neighbours” and “fostering a harmonious， secure and prosperous neighbourly environment”. He said， China and ASEAN countries are either joined by land or by sea. An old Chinese saying goes: “A close neighbour means more than a distant relative.” China’s development can not be separated from a peaceful surrounding， and a developed China will benefit the development of its neighbouring countries. Whether in the past， present， or future， we are committed to developing friendly relations and cooperation with ASEAN countries and working together with them to create a peaceful and tranquil regional environment for common development.

Enhancing Exchanges with Friendship Organizations

The delegation had extensive contact with friendly personages of various circles in Cambodia and Thailand， calling on those in the political， judicial， women and academic circles and in friendship organizations， chambers of commerce， overseas Chinese associations， visiting old friends that had maintained contact with the CPAFFC for several decades， and making new friends. CPAFFC Vice President Wang Yunze briefed them on the work of the CPAFFC in the new period， especially people-to-people friendship activities carried out with ASEAN countries. He said， on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN， to further strengthen the strategic partnership between China and ASEAN and usher the good momentum of bilateral cooperation between them into the future 15 years， the CPAFFC and the China-ASEAN Association held three multilateral activities including the First Conference on China-ASEAN People-to-People Friendship Organizations that established the mechanism of nongovernmental cooperation between China and ASEAN， the reception marking the 15th anniversary of dialogue relations between China and ASEAN jointly hosted by the CPAFFC and the ASEAN Committee Beijing， and the China-ASEAN Friendship Tour that covered six ASEAN countries. Friendship organizations of all ASEAN countries attended the Conference and friendship groups of six ASEAN countries took part in the Friendship Tour. These activities are new models of “promoting bilateral relations through multilateral interaction” created by the CPAFFC in its people-to-people contact with ASEAN countries.