Symposium on President Xi Jinping’s reply to families of international friends held in Beijing

Jin Hanghang

O n Sept 25， a symposium was held in Beijing to study the letter Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote on Sept 14 to the families of several foreigners who had devoted their lives to China’s revolution before 1949 and the country’s construction after the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Xi’s letter was a reply to the family members of 12 “international friends” who had been acknowledged for their lifelong devotion to the country.

Sixteen family members of Edger Snow， Shafick George Hatem， Rewi Alley， Israel Epstein， Hans Mueller， Michael Crook， Zheng Lvcheng， Elizaveta Pavlovna Kishkina， Richard Frey， Ruth F. Weiss， Eva Sandberg and Betty Chandler had written a letter to President Xi to congratulate the Communist Party of China on its centennial before the Party’s birthday on July 1.

The more than 100 participants in the symposium included CPAFFC President Lin Songtian， Vice President Jiang Jiang and other senior officials of the association， representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs， Ministry of Science and Technology， domestic think tanks and research institutions and well-known foreign experts and representatives of overseas students， among others. Lin read the full text of President Xi Jinping’s reply letter and shared what he had learned from it.

Participants discussed their feelings about the letter and discussed how to implement its important contents. Noting that the CPC had just celebrated its centennial， they agreed that it is significant for Comrade Xi Jinping， in his capacity as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and president of the PRC， to have written such a profound and touching letter.

General Secretary Xi himself and the Party value friendship and remember and cherish the contributions and friendship of international friends and their families， symposium participants said， noting that the Party chief had pointed out the way to inherit and carry forward internationalism and jointly build a human community with a shared future in the new era.

The president， they noted， also raised requests and expectations about what should be done in this regard. The letter deeply excited and inspired international friends at home and abroad， they said. “It will certainly encourage more people of vision to join China in forging ahead in the new era and make new contributions.”

Families of the 12 international friends were surprised by the promptness of Xi’s reply， which was unprecedented and heartwarming， they said. In the letter Xi recalled the deeds of their passed loved ones and gave them due recognition. The president also encouraged them to follow the great examples of their parents or grandparents.

The younger people said their ancestors had lived in China for most of their lives and experienced China’s revolution， construction， reform and development. They have gone through the tests of life and death， good times and bad， never looked back and always believed that they had made the right choice.

Today， the younger generation said， they are witnessing the CPC leading the Chinese people in achieving the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects， enabling all Chinese people to live a better life.

“We are proud of the choices our

families have made and firmly believe that under the leadership of the CPC， China will become a more prosperous country，” they said.

Being born in a new era， they said， they must shoulder the responsibility of inheriting and carrying forward the internationalist spirit embodied by the older generation. They pledged that they would actively respond to President Xi’s call， follow the example of their ancestors and do their best to play a unique role in realizing China’s second centenary goal， promoting friendship and cooperation between the Chinese people and others around the world， and contributing to the building of a human community with a shared future.

Foreign experts， scholars and representatives of overseas students shared their feelings after studying Xi’s letter. They agreed that the president not only recalled the deeds of international friends of the older generation and acknowledged their contributions but also enlightened， inspired and encouraged all those at home and abroad who are engaged in the cause of friendship between China and the rest of the world.

As the world faces global challenges such as COVID-19 and climate change， they said， it is of great practical significance to inherit and carry forward the spirit of internationalism. “We will follow the example of international friends of the older generation， work together， work hard and work energized， striving to be‘the Snows in the New Era’ in our own posts，” they said.

They vowed to provide the world a more objective， rational and fair view of China and the CPC， make positive contributions to the enhancement of mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese and foreign people and promote world peace and common development.

Lin Songtian said the centennial of the CPC and the 76th anniversary of victory in the Chinese people’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War， President Xi Jinping’s reply to families of international friends who have stood shoulder to shoulder with the CPC and the Chinese people through thick and thin is of great and far-reaching significance.

First， Lin said， President Xi meant to express thanks and gratitude. The letter fully demonstrated that the CPC， and especially President Xi himself， remembers the valuable contributions and genuine friendship of international friends.

Second， Xi wanted to comfort the souls of those international friends who“made the right choice at that time”with the great achievements the CPC has made in the past 100 years， and to revere and remember them for their standing on the right side of history with their steady contributions.

Third， he hoped family members of the above-mentioned international friends inherit and carry forward the spirit of internationalism and contribute to building a human community with a shared future. He also hoped that the families of international friends and people of vision at home and abroad will follow the example of the older generation， enhance friendship and cooperation between the Chinese people and others around the world， and contribute to building a human community with a shared future.

Lin said that General Secretary Xi’s reply to the families of international friends once again demonstrated that the CPC and Xi himself attach great importance to the integration of China’s interests and development with other countries， and are committed to mutual benefits and common development.

The CPC and General Secretary Xi value friendship， defend justice and pursue the welfare of all. They will never forget those foreign friends who understood， supported and made contributions and sacrifices for China， the Chinese people and the CPC. China will never seek hegemony at the expense of the interests of others or other countries. The letter reflects the fine Chinese culture and the distinctive features of the CPC and the Chinese people. It is also a solemn declaration of the CPC， Lin said.

Lin said the CPAFFC will keep in touch with international friends and their families. The association will uphold the common values of mankind. It takes it as its responsibility to inherit the patriotic gene and remain faithful to its mission to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and its goal to promote the building of a human community with a shared future. It will strive to build a family of international friends in the new era and adopt the “three bases” for telling Chinese stories — introducing the history of the CPC’s exchanges with foreign partners， publicizing the touching deeds of international friends and fostering the spirit of internationalism.

The CPAFFC will carry out people-to-people exchanges and cooperation to enhance understanding and created affinity among peoples of different nations， Lin said.

“We will implement what General Secretary Xi called for in his letter with concrete actions， and we will never fail President Xi’s kind care and ardent expectations，” he said， also expressing hope that the touching deeds of the international friends and the spirit of internationalism would be passed on from generation to generation.

Ten mainstream media outlets， including People’s Daily， Xinhua News Agency， China Media Group and CCTV News， reported on the symposium.