CPAFFC： China’s Aide of People—to—People Friendship

China has maintained good friendly relations with neighboring countries since bygone days due to two reasons. One was trade and the other was Buddhism. China’s links with Sri Lanka goes back to 2500 years. China did not occupy or annex any country as some European nations did.

By the 15th century， China had become a big naval power with navigator Admiral Zheng who crisscrossed the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea seven times during 1405-1433 for trade purposes. But these visits also helped China to cultivate friendly relations with the countries he visited. He took some of the representatives of these countries to China and introduced them to the then emperor.

After the people’s revolution of 1949， China continued its policy of pursuing good foreign relations and took steps to establish diplomatic ties with many countries. Post-revolution Chinese governments also realized that in addition to inter-state connections， there should be people-to-people connection for relations to be meaningful. Former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping once said if there was only cooperation between the two governments without people-to-people contacts there would not be a solid basis for relations between two countries.

Therefore， for the cultivation of state-to-state and people-to-people relations the CPAFFC （Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries） was set up in 1954. Enhancing people’s friendship， furthering international cooperation， safeguarding world peace and promoting common development are some of its key objectives.

This organization receives the fullest cooperation of the Chinese government and other organizations to achieve these objectives. Today there are more than 500 NGOs connected to the CPAFFC in 157 countries. Since 1981， the Sri Lanka China Society has been maintaining social and cultural relationship with the CPAFFC.

It invites representatives of other countries to visit China to promote people-to-people contacts. In addition to visits， seminars， forums and workshops， the CPAFFC also helps states in activities that promote economy， science and technology to achieve win-win results. It also promotes the exchange of cultural troupes and performers.

It sees that the twin city concept is another way of promoting people-to-people contacts. In this manner Sri Lankan cities like Colombo， Hambantota， Galle and Polonnaruwa are connected to Chinese cities.

Senior officials of these societies are offered the honorary title of Friendship Ambassador or an award for their contribution towards people’s friendship. When Sri Lanka celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations with China in 2007， a CPAFFC delegation visited Sri Lanka and conferred honorary titles on 15 Sri Lankans who had worked tirelessly to develop Sino-Lanka relations.

In its mission to safeguard world peace and common security， the CPAFFC believes it can play a positive role in preventing world wars. It publishes an international magazine Voice of Friendship to focus on the principles it believes in.

Under the leadership of its present president， Li Xiaolin， the CPAFFC has received wider recognition and risen to greater heights.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the setting up of the CPAFFC， the Sri Lanka China Society together with the CPAFFC’s Cultural Exchange Department will be holding an exhibition on the evolution of Chinese characters on December 4 and 5， 2014 at the National Art Gallery of Colombo. The CPAFFC marked the anniversary on a grand scale in Beijing this May.

The writer is Vice President of Sri Lanka-China Society.