At the invitation of the CPAFFC, a 15 member delegation of Japan International Medical & Rescue Team which had participated in the earthquake relief work  in Wenchuan, Sichuan, visited Beijing and Sichuan from Jun.12 to 16, 2012. Vice-President Jing Dunquan of the CPAFFC held a banquet to welcome the delegation in Beijing in the evening of Jun.12.  The representatives from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, China Earthquake Administration, the Japanese Embassy in China and Beijing Office of Japan International Cooperation Agency were present.

In his address, Jing Dunquan welcomed the delegation’s visit to China, and appreciated the Japanese government and people for their support and assistance given to the Chinese people during the earth quake in Wenchuan, Sichuan. He highly complimented Japan International Medical & Rescue Team for its sublime professional dedication and humanitarianism. Jing Dunquan said, it had been 4 years since the Wenchuan earthquake occurred, the after-disaster reconstruction in earthquake-stricken area had been completed substantially under the strong leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government, as well as the people’s efforts of the whole country which supported by the international community including Japan. The earthquake-stricken area would strive to realize a rapid economic and social development based on the reconstruction. He would sincerely wish and believe the earthquake-stricken area in Northeastern Japan would also resurrect in short time, and achieve further development from a fresh start. He expected China and Japan to continue to cooperate in the field of after-disaster reconstruction.

Jing Dunquan said, the visit of Delegation of Japan International Medical & Rescue Team was at the personal invitation of Premir Wen Jiabao, during his visit to Japan in May, 2010; it is one of the important activities of 40th anniversary of normalization of relations between China and Japan. Jing would wish that the delegation’s visit make new contributions for enhancinging people’s friendship as well as promoting the bilateral exchanges and cooperation in the field of disaster reduction and prevention, open a magnificent chapter for Friendship Year of The Chinese and Japanese People''''''''s Exchanges.

The leader of the delegation of Japan International Medical & Rescue Team, Koizumi Takashi, expressed his gratitude to China-Japan Friendship Association for its kind invitation and warm reception. He says “in order to personally experience the change and development of the disaster area, all the members of the delegation wish to go back to the earthquake-stricken area in Sichuan and see about the achievements of reconstruction. After the large earthquake took place in East Japan last year, the Chinese government and the Chinese people have given Japan huge support. A friend in need is a friend indeed. May the profound friendship between China and Japan last forever; may the people of two countries keep friendship from generation to generation.”

During the visit in China, the delegation met respectively with Tang Jiaxuan, president of China-Japan Friendship Association and Wei Hong, the executive vice- governor of Sichuan Province. In addition, the delegation visited the National Emergency Seismic Rescue Training Base of China, the earthquake-stricken area in North Sichuan and Huaxi Hospital, to learn about the achievements of the after-disaster reconstruction, got together and had exchanges with the Chinese crews as well as medical and nursing personnel who the delegates had worked together before.