Xie Yuan, vice president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries(CPAFFC) met with Allan Flores,Tourism Minister of Costa Rica and his delegation on August,1. Vice president Xie Yuan expressed sincere welcome to Minister Allan Flores and his delegation and introduced to them the fourth nongovernmental and friendly forum between China and Latin America and Caribbean, which will be held in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. Xie also said that although the two countries were far away from each other, the friendship between the two countries had a long history, and the Chinese people always had a friendly feeling for Costa Rican people. He also introduced the communication and exchanges of friendship cities between the two countries to them and expected that the two sides would further achieve the pragmatic cooperation on the friendship cities, so as to drive the bilateral development of tourism. Minister Allan Flores thanked the CPAFFC for making contribution and efforts for the friendship between Costa Rica and China. He said that the bilateral development of tourism not only promoted the economy development, but also built the friendship platform for the people of two countries. He hoped that the nongovernmental and friendly forum between China and Latin America in September would provide us with a new opportunity to strengthen pragmatic cooperation and promote the further development between Costa Rica and China. H.E.Mr.Marco Vinicio Ruiz, the ambassador to China and Ana Cristina Jenkins, vice minister of the Ministry of transportation attended the meeting.

  Vice President Feng Zuoku met with H.E. Mr. Victor Foh, the new Ambassador of the Republic of Sierra Leone to China, on July 29, 2013. Vice President Feng expressed his congratulations to H.E. Ambassador Victor Foh. He hoped during the new Ambassador’s term the CPAFFC and the Sierra Leonean Embassy in China would strengthen their cooperation, jointly promote the people-to-people contacts and local government exchanges between China and Sierra Leone, so as to consolidate and develop the friendship between the two countries. H.E. Ambassador Victor Foh thanked Vice President Feng for meeting with him, and said before his appointment as Ambassador to China he had been Secretary General for the All Peoples Congress party for eight years. He was also a member of the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Association. He hoped to maintain close contact with the CPAFFC, strengthen the exchanges and cooperation between the two friendship associations, and further promote Sierra Leone-China relationship.  

The departure ceremony and press conference of  China International Friendship Volunteer Program sponsored by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and organized by Zhongxie Human Resource Consulting Center( Zhongxie HR) was held in Beijing on July 18,2013. Xie Yuan, the vice president of the CPAFFC, Guo quansheng, the director of the Zhongxie HR, and the representatives from Hanban Confucius Institute Headquarters and the press, over 50 persons attended the activity. Vice president Xie Yuan announced in his speech that the first group of China international friendship volunteers would set out for Fiji and Guatemala to render the international voluntary services. He said the CPAFFC officially set up China International Friendship Volunteer Program in 2012 aiming for better excavating the resources of the domestic people-to-people diplomacy and coordinating with the "walk out" strategy, to publicize the idea of  China’s peaceful development and assist the target region to achieve progress in various causes. He hoped the volunteers work well on the ground and send friendship and best wishes from the Chinese people to the foreign countries, as well as make friends for our country in order that more people would understand China, be interested in the Chinese culture and support the friendship to China. With the joint efforts in many ways, the CPAFFC chose Fiji and Guatemala as the first countries to receive the China international friendship volunteers. The volunteers in Fiji will carry out about 3 months’ volunteer activities to prepare for China-Fiji Economic and Trading Seminar which will be held in Fiji in early next year and assist to collect trading and economic investment cooperation programs for China and Fiji. In order to  promote the communication in education and culture between the both sides,  with the assistance of Hunan Education Association for International Exchange, two teachers were selected and sent to Guatemala at the invitation of the Guatemala-China Friendship Association, to teach Chinese in four local educational institutes for one year. Moreover, in order to ensure the teaching quality of Chinese course and publicize the Chinese culture, the CPAFFC presented about RMB 50 thousand Yuan teaching books to the Guatemala-China Friendship Association, so that more enthusiasts for Chinese would benefit from these activities.  On the departure ceremony, the CPAFFC and Zhongxie HR presented the Fiji-China Friendship Association and Guatemala-China Friendship Association respectively with the Chinese works of calligraphy which would be handed on by the volunteers. Program of sending volunteers to provide services abroad is the important move of the CPAFFC adhering the idea of Friendship, Peace, Cooperation and Development and exploring new methods for works of foreign assistance. It will further expand the cooperation and enhance the vitality of friendship between China and foreign countries.

On July 17th, Mr Zhang Heqiang, Deputy Director of Department of American and Oceanian Affairs of the CPAFFC, held a reception for US African American High School Students Delegation. Students and teachers from Beijing Foreign Language School also attended the reception. During the reception, the Chinese and American Students put on performances with their respective cultural characteristics and had lively exchanges with each other. Before the reception , students visited the exhibition on the history of CPAFFC . At the invitation of China-United States Exchange Foundation,US African American High School Students Delegation will have a two-week study tour in Beijing and Shanghai.

In the morning of July 16, Li Jianping, the vice president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) met with Mme. Ruiz Massieu, the Mexican Tourism Minister and H.E. Mr. Julián Ventura, the Mexican ambassador to China. Vice President Li Jianping extended his sincere welcome to Minister Ruiz Massieu and her group for their visit to China， and congratulated Ambassador Ventura for his new appointment in China. He said, last month, the visit to Mexico by the Chinese President Xi Jinping achieved great success. The aim of the minister’s visit to China this time was to implement the consensus of furthering the cultural and tourism exchanges between the two countries reached by the two heads of state. The CPAFFC would like to assist Mexico to hold publicizing and promoting events to attract more tourists to visit in Mexico, thus to strengthen the understanding and friendship between the two peoples. Besides, Vice President Li Jianping also introduced the status of China developing friendship cities with Mexico to the minister and her group. He expected that the both sides to carry out more pragmatic works on friendship cities. Minister Ruiz Massieu appreciated for the efforts and contribution that the CPAFFC had made to the friendship between China and Mexico. She said, her visit to China was to realize the Mexican President Pena Nieto’s promise of deepening the relations with China. The development of bilateral tourism would not only boost the economy and increase employment, but also construct a platform of friendship for the two peoples. H.E. Mr. Julián Ventura, the new Mexican Ambassador to China expressed that he would strengthen the communication with the CPAFFC, to promote more pragmatic cooperation, adding more vitality  to the friendly relation between Mexico and China.

  At the invitation of Sister Cities International (SCI), Vice President Xie Yuan of CPAFFC led a delegation of 5 people to visit the U.S. From July 11 to 16. He attended the 57th annual conference of SCI at San Antonio, Texas, delivered a speech about the development and prospect of China-US sister city relations and answered questions from the audience about China’s sister city policies and issues which should be noted when conducting sister city exchanges with Chinese localities. Vice President Xie continued to visit the State of Iowa, and paid visit to Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds, and discussed with the old friends including Sarah Lande, about the commemorative events in September on the 30th anniversary of Iowa-Hebei sister state relationship.  

On July 15th, 2013, State Councilor Yang Jiechi met with the U.S. Kansas State Governor Sam Brownback at Zhongnanhai. Mme Li Xiaolin, President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and Zheng Zeguang, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs,attended the meeting. At the invitation of CPAFFC,Governor Sam Brownback will visit Beijing,Henan and Guangdong from July 15th to 21st to further cooperation with China.

The conference of the new council (2013-2018) of China-Cuba Friendship Association (CCFA) was held at Peace Palace in the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) on July 9,2013, more than 40 council members and representatives from various circles of society attended the conference. The new council leaders of the CCFA were elected. Bai Lichen, the former vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) was elected as the president. Xie Yuan, the vice president of the CPAFFC, Liu Yuqin, the former Chinese ambassador to Cuba and He Chenguang, the general manager of the China Communication Co., Ltd were elected as the vice presidents respectively. Ji Yongjun, the deputy director-general of Department of American and Oceania Affairs of the CPAFFC was served as secretary general. President Bai Lichen delivered the important speech in the conference, he said that the CCFA should strengthen the communication with Cuba on friendship cities, economic cooperation, culture exchanges, personnel exchanges and others in the future. President Bai also conferred the council members the letters of appointment at the conference. The CCFA held a celebrating banquet after the conference. H.E. Mr. Alberto Jesus Blanco Silva, the Cuban ambassador to China and other diplomats from the Cuban embassy attended the banquet.President Xie Yuan and Ambassador Alberto Jesus Blanco Silva made speeches respectively.    

At the invitation of CPAFFC, a ten-member delegation of the Union for Peace and Friendship Mongolia (former Mongolia Federation for Peace and Friendship Organizations) headed by newly-elected President Deleg ZAGDJAV paid a visit to Beijing and Tianjing from July 1st to 5th. Mr. Feng Zuoku (CPAFFC Vice President), Mr.He Jun (Assistant Minister of International Department of CPC Central Committee and Vice President of Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament), Mr. Ren Xuefeng (Vice Mayor of Tianjin Municipality and President of Tianjin People’s Friendship Association) met and hosted banquets for the delegation. Ms. Yi Zhihong (Vice President of Renmin University of China) also had discussions with the delegation. Ambassador of Mongolia to China attended major activities with the delegation. During the visit, President ZAGDJAV and CPAFFC Vice President Feng Zuoku exchanged views on friendship exchanges and cooperation between the two sides. They also signed the MOU on the Cooperation from 2013 to 2016.

Sponsored by the CPAFFC and the People’s Government of Shandong Province, the 2nd Dialogue for Chinese and African Governors and Mayors was held in Jinan of Shandong from June 26 to 29. Guests of the dialogue include more than 100 representatives from 19 French-speaking African countries and 220 Chinese representatives from concerning ministries or commissions of the central government and 17 cities of Shandong province. H.E. Mr. Abdul’ahat Abdurixit, former Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the Chinese-African People’s Friendship Association, and Mme. Li Xiaolin, President of the CPAFFC and Executive Chair of the Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation were present and addressed at the opening ceremony. H.E. Mr. Jiang Yikang, Secretary of the CPC Shandong Provincial Committee and H.E. Mr. Guo Shuqing, Governor of Shandong Province met and dinned with the Chinese and African honored guests respectively.   Focusing on the topic of industry and infrastructure promoting local development, we organized a series of activities such as the dialogue on Shandong’s competitive industries and African local development and cooperation, governors’ and mayors’ dialogue, Chinese and African provinces’ and cities’exhibition, trade, investment and projects promotion and study tour to companies. 12 agreements and letter of intention regarding sister city or economy and trade were signed in the dialogue.   Mme. Li Xiaolin also awarded H.E. Jean Ping, former chairman of African Union Commission the certificate and badge of People’s Friendship Envoy. As an important continuation of the first Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation, the dialogue has been organized two times, firstly in Dakar last December of 2012, secondly in China this time, which is the first time for the dialogue to be held within China.