CPAFFC Vice-President Lin Yi delivers a video speech for the“China (Sichuan)-Asia Youth Exchange”

Zhang Yujun

O n Oct 21， the China （Sichuan）-Asia Youth Exchange was held in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture， online and offline simultaneously. It was hosted by the Sichuan People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the People’s Government of Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture， with the help of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

A number of guests attended the event on site or online， including Lin Shucheng， vice chairman of the Sichuan Committee of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference， government officials of Liangshan prefecture， diplomats from the consulates of Asian countries in Chengdu， executives of multinational companies and representatives of overseas students in Sichuan province， as well as leaders of friendship organizations of Asian countries and youth representatives， among others. Lin Yi， vice-president of the CPAFFC， was invited to deliver a video speech at the opening ceremony.

Lin said Liangshan prefecture is a land of rich history that has written the miracle of the times. As early as more than 2，000 years ago， Liangshan was an important town on the ancient southern Silk Road， across the southwest border area of China， southeast Asia and south Asia. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949， Liangshan went through tremendous changes from slave society to socialist society. Now， the battle against poverty in the new era has been carried out in the deep mountains. It has helped all povertystricken counties in Liangshan out of poverty. This historic change spanning a millennium is the epitome of China’s efforts to seize opportunities and win the battle against poverty.

Lin Yi said poverty eradication is the common ideal of mankind. As a big country with one-fifth of the world’s population， China has made great historic achievements in solving the problem of absolute poverty that has plagued the nation for thousands of years. It has made historic contributions to poverty eradication and peaceful development around the world.

Meanwhile， China has taken an active part in international cooperation on poverty reduction. In Asia， China and ASEAN countries have worked together to promote rural poverty reduction. The Chinese side initiated the founding of the China-South Asia Center for Poverty Reduction and Development Cooperation. It was opened to use in July this year. Concepts of poverty alleviation with Chinese characteristics， such as targeted poverty reduction and tailored measures to local conditions， are attracting more attention from the international community.

Lin Yi said that facing the risks and challenges in global poverty reduction in the post-COVID-19 era， it is all the more important for Asian countries to strengthen cooperation， share experience and create new development opportunities in the fight against COVID-19 side by side， so as to make greater contribution to global development. It is hoped that youth from home and abroad can make use of the event to enhance friendship and mutual understanding， taste the new atmosphere of unity and harmony in ethnic minority areas， unlock the“password” of shaking off poverty and striving to prosper in Liangshan， explore ways of high-quality and sustainable development， rally the Asian strength for common prosperity and make greater contribution to the building of an Asian community with a shared future and a global community with a shared future for mankind.

The theme of the China （Sichuan）-Asia Youth Exchange is to “walk into the new life of Yi ethnic group and feel the beauty and happiness of new Liangshan”. It aims to tell the story of poverty alleviation in China through Liangshan， and call on Asian youth to work together to build a harmonious， beautiful and prosperous Asia.