Mme. Li Xiaolin, President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), met in Beijing with Mme. MIZUDA NORIKO, Former President of JOSAI University on January 16th. CPAFFC President Li extended warm welcome to Mme. MIZUDA NORIKO and said that JOSAI University has been working for China-Japan friendship from her father’s generation and has made positive contributions to promoting the exchanges in fields of education and culture between the two countries. This year marks the 45th anniversary of the normalization of the diplomatic relations of the two countries. President Li said that CPAFFC is willing to further strengthen pragmatic exchanges with JOSAI University and deepen the mutual understanding and friendship of the two peoples, so as to play a positive role in improving the bilateral ties. Mme. MIZUDA NORIKO said that over 40 years ago, then Chinese vice Premier Li Xiannian, met with her father, MIZUDA MIKIO. Now She felt so cordially when she met with President Li Xiaolin. I am willing to inherit the fine tradition of our predecessors’ commitment to Sino-Japanese friendship and keep close cooperative relations with CPAFFC to jointly push forward the development of the exchanges in fields of education and culture of the two countries. We would like to make efforts on enhancing the friendly feelings of the two peoples.

On January 13th, President Li Xiaolin and Chinese friendly-to-Vietnam representatives made a courtesy call to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of the Communist Party of Vietnam who was on an official visit to China. General Secretary Nguyen said that the traditional friendship established by the leaders from older generations of the two countries enjoys time-honored history and the bilateral relations have made continous development in the past 67 years althrough with twist and turns. As the development of the  Vietnam-China relations foundamentally depend on the two peoples, the two friendship organizations should work hard continously to harvest more achievement in this regard. President Li thanked Nguyen Phu Trong to spare the busy program for the meeting. She said that in the recently years, under the guidance of the General Secretaries from two parties, the China-Vietnam relations enjoy stable and smooth development. This precious momentum and its hard-won outcomes should be cherished. We are willing to make concerted efforts with the Vietnam side to contribute more to the people-to-people mutual-trust. President Li introduced the China-Vietnam People’s Meeting between Governors and Mayors held in last November during NPC Chairperson Zhang Dejiang’s visit to Vietnam, and said that CPAFFC would continue to work for the exchange and friendship between the two local governments as well as the two peoples. President Wang Jinshan of China-Vietnam Friendship Association, Mr. Hong Xiaoyong, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Wang Yajun, Assistant Minister of the International Department of CPC Central Commitee, CPAFFC Vice President Lin Yi was present at the meeting. Mr. Pham Binh Minh, Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Vietnam and other main accompanying delegates of General Secretary Nguyen also attended the meeting.

A few days ago, in the name of President Tran Dai Quang, the Socialist Repulbic of Vietnam decided to confer the Vietnam Friendship Medal to President Li Xiaolin. On January 13th, the conferring ceremony was held in Beijing. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of the Communist Party of Vietnam who was on an official visit to China attended the ceremony, Mr. Pham Binh Minh, Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Vietnam conferred the Medal to President Li. The Vietnam Friendship Medal recognizes the contributions of organizations and individuals abroad for the cause of consolidating and developing the friendship between Vietnam and other countries in the world. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong congratulated President Li Xiaolin for being awarded the Friendship Medal, expressed gratitude for the long-term contributions made by CPAFFC, China-Vietnam Friendship Association and friendly-to-Vietnam personnels in developming the bilateral relations and hoped that the people-to-people diplomacy would play a bigger role in enhancing the friendship between the two peoples. President Li said that it was a great honor to be awarded the Vietnam Friendship Medal by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, especially during the visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to China. She thanked the old friends and predecessors of the older generations who contributed to the China-Vietnam friendship and experessed the willingness to join concerted efforts with VUFO to conduct more activities to continouly promote the bilateral relations with multi-forms and colorful contents.

On January 12th, witnessed by General Secretary Xi Jinping of CPC Central Commitee and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong of the Communist Party of Vietnam, President Li Xiaolin and Mr.Don Tuan Phong, Executive Vice Chairman and Secretary General of Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations(VUFO) signed the MOU of Cooperation between CPAFFC and VUFO from 2017 to 2021 in the Great Hall of the People. The MOU reviewed the achievement and experience between the two sides’cooperation from 2013 to 2016 and set the blueprint for exchange and cooperation plans in next 5 years in politics,economy and trade, culture, youth and etc.

CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin met with the Shenzhen Japanese CCI delegation led by President Murayama Yuzo and Supreme Consultant SAKASITA SIGENOBU on the afternoon of December 28th. The Shenzhen Japanese CCI was founded in 1988. There are 430 corporate memberships and 4 branches. The total sales reached to 99.5 billion Yen. 160 thousand Chinese employees worked there. The Shenzhen Japanese CCI has kept a long-term cooperative relationship with CPAFFC and jointly held two sessions of Exchange Conferences on China’s Policies for Foreign Enterprises. Mr. Li Ruihuan, then-Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) spoke highly of the conferences at the time he was presented. During the meeting, President Murayama Yuzo and Consultant SAKASITA SIGENOBU introduced their plans about the third exchange conference will be held on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations in the next year. CPAFFC President Li spoke highly of the contributions SAKASITA SIGENOBU and the Shenzhen Japanese CCI have made for a long time to the Sino-Japanese friendship cause. She said, CPAFFC will hold series of exchange activities in next year. We would like to work together with the Shenzhen Japanese CCI to hold the third exchange conference. President Li also expressed that the two countries have a large space to cooperate in fields of the elderly care, child health care, food safety, cultural exchange and environmental protection and so on. Both sides had an in-depth discussion on how to further cooperate. Mr. Hu Sishe, Vice President of CPAFFC, Mr. Zhang Juxiang, Director General of China Service Center for Friendship and Cooperation with Foreign Countries of CPAFFC, Mr. Takashi Masuda, Council Member of the Shenzhen Japanese CCI and Mr. Ryoichi NAKAMURA, Secretary General of the Shenzhen Japanese CCI, attended the meeting.

President Li Xiaolin met in CPAFFC with Mr. ABE SHUICHI, Governor of Nagano Prefecture, and his delegation on the afternoon of December 13th. Mr. Song Jingwu, Vice President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), Mr. Liu Xiaojun, Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Hebei Province, attended the meeting. President Li extended welcome to the delegation led by ABE SHUICHI and spoke highly of the efforts he had made in the past several years on promoting the local exchanges and cooperation between China and Japan. President Li said that next year will mark the 45th Anniversary of Normalization of Sino-Japanese Diplomatic Relations and the year next will be the 40th Anniversary of the Conclusion of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan, the third China-Japan Governors Forum will also be held in the next year. Therefore, she hoped that the local governments of the two countries should take these opportunities to strengthen the exchanges, expand cooperation and try to enhance mutual understanding and friendly feelings of the two peoples so as to continuously inject vitality into the improvement and development of China-Japan relations. ABE SHUICHI thanked CPAFFC and CJFA for giving supports to the exchanges developed by Nagano Prefecture with China  during these years. After introducing the exchanges with China, he said, Japan-China friendship conforms to the basic interests of the two countries and is also beneficial to the peace and prosperity for Asia and even the world. Nagano Prefecture would continue to carry forward the beneficial mode of taking government and people as one unit and increasingly strengthen the exchanges and cooperation in various fields with Hebei Province and relevant organizations of Chinese side as well as promote the cause of China and Japan friendship as before. Winter Olympic Games was held in Nagano Prefecture in 1998. Therefore, we are willing to play our own advantages to give the Chinese side a lot of support in successfully organizing the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Winter Olympic Games and the universal development of Chinese winter sports. President Li Xiaolin conveyed CJFA President Tang Jiaxuan’s greetings to ABE SHUICHI. The delegation was invited by CPAFFC to visit China this time. On the evening of 13th, Vice President Song Jingwu hosted a banquet for the delegation. ABE SHUICHI paid an official visit to General Administration Sport on the morning of 14th. The both sides reached a consensus on further strengthening the friendly exchanges in field of sport.

President Li Xiaolin met Marco Lambertini, Director General of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on December 9th in Beijing. President Li introduced the achievement CPAFFC had made in environmental protection, sustainable development and philanthropy fields, and extended the wishes to conduct comprehensive and substantial cooperation with WWF in the future. Director General Lambertini briefed the framework of WWF International and its accomplishment to President Li, expecting to launch practical collaboration with CPAFFC in the near future. Deputy Director General Ji Yongjun, Department of American and Oceania Affairs attended the meeting. 

   President Li Xiaolin held a meeting with Amway President Doug DeVos on December 8th, 2016. President Li commends the great importance Amway has attached to the development of China-US relationship during its growth in China. She hopes that the company will continue to exert positive impact on the China-US trade cooperation and play a constructive role in advancing the bilateral relationship after the new U.S. administration goes into power.  President DeVos appreciates the strong support the CPAFFC has given to the subnational and economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. Being the world’s largest direct selling enterprise, Amway highly values China market and will further stick to the corporate social responsibility and make due contribution to the future development of U.S.-China relations.                                 

Mme. Li Xiaolin, President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), met in Beijing with Mr. FUMIHIRO KOBA, President of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China (JCCIC), and his delegation on December 6th. President Li spoke highly of the efforts JCCIC had made over the past several years on promoting the friendship of the two countries. Nearly a total number of 600 Chinese college students in 19 batches visited Japan through 2 sessions of the program of Walking into Japanese Enterprises · Experiencing Japanese Culture for orgnazing the Chinese college students to visit Japan that has been held since 2007. The program is praised by all parties for it not only provided advanced experience of Japanese enterprises for the Chinese college students, but also enhanced mutual understanding and friendship of the youth between the two countries. The third session cooperation agreement signed this time would be beneficial to deepening the mutual understanding and friendship of the two youth, as well as cultivating the successors for the cause of Sino-Japanese friendship. President FUMIHIRO KOBA thanked CPAFFC for its active cooperation in the implement of the former two sessions of the programs. The third session of the program launched by the member enterprises of the JCCIC, reflects that JCCIC and its members attach great importance to the friendly exchanges between the two youth  in fields of the economy, culture, education and etc.. They also hope that the program will be held better and better with the help of the Chinese side. After the meeting, under the witness of President Li Xiaolin and President FUMIHIRO KOBA, China-Japan Friendship Association (CJFA) and China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development (CFFPD) signed the Third Session Cooperation Agreement of the Program of Walking into Japanese Enterprises · Experiencing Japanese Culture with JCCIC respectively.

On the afternoon of 5 December, President Li Xiaolin of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries(CPAFFC) met with Mr Jacob Bundsgaard, Mayor of Aarhus and Vice President of Local Government Denmark, who visited China to attend the Inaugural China Denmark Regions and Cities Forum. President Li Xiaolin welcomed the Local Government Denmark delegation led by Mayor Jacob Bundsgaard. She highlighted that the Forum was attended by 6 regions and cities from Denmark and over 30 provinces and cities from China, which manifested the strong willingness to cooperate between the two countries’ local governments. She hoped the Forum would add new content to the China-Denmark Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Mayor Bundsgaard said that Denmark valued local cooperation with China, and it would like to carry out practical cooperation with China through regions and cities and bring benefits to the two peoples. He looked forward to hosting the next Forum in Aarhus.  Mr Hu Sishe, Vice Preisident of CPAFFC, Mr. Shen Xin and Ms. Zhang Ruoning, Deputy Director-Generals of the Department of European and Asian Affairs, were present at the meeting.