CPAFFC Friendship Day 2021 a great success

Chen Ke

O n July 10， the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries presented Friendship Day 2021 at the organizations headquarters in Beijing. Friendship associations from Beijing， Shanxi， Hubei， Chongqing， Guizhou and Shaanxi co-organized the event. Organizers thanked friends from home and abroad who have contributed to building people-to-people friendship and reflected the Chinese peoples desire to carry out win-win cooperation with people of other countries and achieve common development.

At 9 am， friends from 69 countries， young and old， walked into the CPAFFC compound at 1 Taijichang Street in Beijing， known as a home for international friends. They were of different races， nationalities， ages and genders， but they greeted each other warmly in an atmosphere of friendship， harmony， inclusiveness， openness and joy. The event demonstrated the enthusiasm and friendship of the Chinese people and their tradition of making new friends while keeping old friends in mind. It also provided an opportunity for the guests to enjoy diverse Chinese culture.

More than 1，000 people joined the event， including Isabel Crook， the 106-year-old PRC Friendship Medal laureate； Michael Crook， chair of the International Committee for the Promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives （Gung Ho-ICCIC）； families of well-known international friends Shafick George Hatem， Hans Mueller and Zheng Lvcheng； ambassadors of 18 countries， including Cameroon， and charges daffaires of four countries； representatives of 21 multinationals； representatives of overseas students in China； Ambassador Sha Zukang， president of the ChinaPakistan Friendship Association and former deputy secretary-general of the United Nations， and his wife； staff of the CPAFFC； delegates of the six Chinese provinces and municipalities； journalists from 19 foreign media outlets including Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shinbun of Japan， Beijing office of Chosun Ilbo， IRIB of Iran， La Agencia EFE， S.A. of Spain and Neue Zurcher Zeitung of Switzerland； journalists from Chinese media outlets including CGTN， China Daily， Hubei TV， The Paper， Beijing Review， Peoples Daily Online and Xinhuanet； and families of the above mentioned guests.

Charles Boulton， political counsellor of the New Zealand embassy in China， and Zhou Youma， son of Dr Shafick George Hatem， and Michael Crook， chair of Gung Ho， spoke at the reopening ceremony. They told touching stories of Rewi Alley and spoke highly of reopening his former residence for commemoration. Li Jianping， Alleys former secretary， introduced the residence and the exhibition.

CPAFFC President Lin led the delegation to the history exhibition， which consisted of four parts：

The importance attached by Chinas Party and State leaders to peopleto-people diplomacy；

The historical status and functions of the association；

The associations partnerships with international friendship associations， friendship cities， friendship organizations and individuals；

The associations leading role in people-to-people diplomacy， its major role in public diplomacy and its bridgebuilding role in city diplomacy.

The exhibition highlighted the associations history， major functions， mechanisms for international cooperation and major achievements.

Lin noted that this year marks the centennial of the CPC， and the history of the CPAFFC is part of the history of the CPC. Chinese leaders have always attached great importance to people-topeople diplomacy， offered strong political guidance to and thoughts about people-to-people diplomacy， pointed the right direction it should follow and set a good example by participating in it.

Lin said that as a national peoples organization engaged in peopleto-people diplomacy， the CPAFFC works to enhance peoples friendship， further international cooperation， safeguard world peace and promote common development. It actively promotes people-to-people friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation and contributes to increasing mutual understanding， friendship and trust between the people of China and other countries， and building stronger amity and connectivity between them.

The new era calls for new actions， Lin said， adding that the CPAFFC will uphold friendship， cooperation， peace and development； give full play to its three major functions； continue working with international friendship associations， cities， organizations and individuals； connect five continents； interact with friends from home and abroad； actively make friends with people from all parts of the world； promote friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation， and contribute to increasing amity and connectivity among the peoples of the world and building a human community with a shared future.