On April 13th, Mme.Lin Yi, Vice President of CPAFFC met with H. E. Dato’ Majid Khan, President of Malaysia-China Friendship Association. The two sides had extensive exchange of views on China-Malaysia and China-ASEAN people-to-people cooperation in the fields of youth, culture and vocational training.     Photographed by Wu Jiong

At the invitation of UCLG ASPAC, LCAP and LCA-KP, the CPAFFC delegation with Mr.Shen Xin, general director of European and Eurasian Affairs Department at the helm attended the meeting on 8-12 April 2018. Themed as “Think Globally, Act Locally – SDGs Implementation through Local Governments”, the meeting gathered more than 50 international delegates from 10 countries. The Prime Minister of Pakistan attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Fuzhou, Hangzhou and Jinan cities were present at the meeting.  

The 1st China Children Football Development Forum and the 2nd Training of Campus Dream Catchers, hosted by China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development (CFFPD), was held on April 12, 2018. The program was under the guidance of the CPAFFC and co-organized by Beijing Football Association and Beingmate Baby & Child Food Co., Ltd. With the aim of “promoting Chinese parent-child culture, promoting children’s football, enhancing international children’s friendship, as well as caring about and improving the nutrition and health of women and children”, the event attracted experts on children football education, professors, representatives of relevant companies and heads and teachers of kindergartens from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province, totaling over 150 people, to participate in the event. Li Xikui, Secretary General of the CPAFFC, attended and addressed the event. In his speech, he said that football education should start with children. Children football is a basic project for the healthy growth of young people. It is the cornerstone for the development of junior football and the source of the country’s talent pool for future football players. The children football public welfare project, namely Campus Dream Catchers, is a practical measure to respond to the directive of the Overall Chinese Football Reform and Development Program and a concrete implementation of the development of children football. The CFFPD will actively play the role of a platform for public welfare to unite all social forces to ensure the progress and effective operation of the project. Xie Hong, the founder and Chairman of Beingmate and a philanthropist dedicated to children’s growth, said Beingmate’s involvement in children football is out of the special sense of responsibility and mission of the practitioners of baby & child products industry. "Strong babies and children make a strong China.” It is incumbent on Beingmate to contribute to the education and development of China’s children football. During the opening ceremony, Deng Lan, Deputy Secretary General of CFFPD, and Chen Changhong, Deputy Secretary General of Beijing Football Association, signed an agreement on strategic cooperation on behalf of their respective sides. Yang Haibin, Deputy Director of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports and Chairman of Beijing Football Association, said that the forum would contribute to gathering wisdom and ideas and showing the direction for actions, so as to carry out practices and cultural exploration of football. Wan Xuanrong, Member of China Cares for the Next Generation Working Committee and Supervisor of the CFFPD, introduced the project of Campus Dream Catchers and its future plan. Jin Zhiyang, Director of National Campus Football Expert Committee, former coach of Chinese football national team, Consultant and Director of Technical Committee of Beijing Football Association, and Professor Wan Xuanrong, led the representatives of teachers, parents and children to read the Proposal of Campus Dream Catchers, proposing the idea of “Chinese football starting from me and let children grow up with football”. During the forum, Professor Yin Hongbo, the founder of international critical period for football, gave a wonderful speech titled "Football: Children’s Very First Sport and the Current Development and the Future of China's Children Football". British coach Adam James shared an interest-oriented animal-themed football course based on the characteristics of children aged 2 to 8 in China. During the roundtable discussions, Jin Zhiyang, Liu Xifu, Head of Youth Division of Beijing Football Association, Geng Jianhua, FIFA grassroots coach instructor, CFA campus football coach instructor and professor of Shaanxi Normal University, Li Yuan, Principal of Laoshanxili Kindergarten of Shougang Nursery Education Center, Xi Tian, teacher of Huayuancun Kindergarten of National Government Offices Administration, and Xu Jinghai, parent representative of BK Kindergarten, had discussions on how to promote the development of China’s children football. Afterwards, children football education experts from all walks of life conducted a one-and-a-half-day training session, combining theory and practice, to the principals and teachers of almost 100 kindergartens from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province. The training covers how to arouse children’s interest in football, organize football games effectively and improve children’s football courses and other contents.        

Vice President Hu Sishe had a meeting with Christopher Cox, grandson of former U.S. President Richard Nixon, on April 12. Vice President Hu pointed out that both China and the United States have benefited greatly from China’s reform and opening up. The two countries should continue mutually beneficial cooperation in order to achieve win-win results. He hoped that Cox could help more Americans gain better understanding on China. Cox viewed the U.S.-China relationship as the most important bilateral relationship in the 21st century. The American people should learn more about Chinese history and culture. Both the United States and China have peace in their DNA and could work together to handle problems and differences.   Zhang Yang   Photograph

On April 11th, Vice President Lin Yi met with Under-Secretary Ali Aljabri of Information Minister of the Sultanate of Oman.   After reviewing bilateral people-to-people friendly exchanges over past years, the two sides exchanged opinions on strengthening cooperation to further people-to-people friendly relations on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Oman. Oman Ambassador Abdullah Al Saadi, Deputy Director General Li Hai of Asian and African Affairs Department also attended the meeting.     Gong Xu   Photograph

On April 10th, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), Scottish Government of the UK, and UNICEF co-hosted presentation and round table discussion over Child Rights and Equality: Closing the Gaps for the Poorest Children. On invitation of CPAFFC, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of Scotland delivered keynote speech. Vice President Hu Sishe of CPAFFC, Deputy Director Song Wenzhen of National Working Committee for Children and Women of State Council, Rana Flowers from UNICEF office for China made speeches. More than 200 representatives from government, institutions, social organizations and UNICEF, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Beijing Normal University and China Women’s University attended the event. Round table discussion has drew experts from China and Scotland in child right protection to more in-depth exchange of views after the speech.

Vice Premier Hu Chunhua met with First Minister of Scotland Sturgeon and her delegation. Both sides shared views on strengthening exchanges and cooperation in economics and trade, culture and education, energy and environmental protection as well as technology and creation. President of the CPAFFC Li Xiaolin attended the meeting.     Aaron Benjamin Berkovich   photograph 

On April 9th, Vice President Song Jingwu of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) was invited to attend the welcome reception Scotland is Now. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon of Scotland and Vice President Song delivered the speech on behalf of two sides. Scottish and Chinese students presented an opera piece with Chinese cultural background.     Zhang Hualu   Photograph

On April 9th , the China-U.S. Youth Friendship Evening was held in the beautiful compound of the CPAFFC, where the dancing green and blossomy fragrance delivers the message of spring. Director General Zhang Heqiang of the Department of American and Oceanian Affairs of the CPAFFC, Vice Principal Zhang Chunlin of Beijing No.8 High School, Principal Professor Mula Na of the Central Conservatory of Music Middle School, Co-Chair Ronald Shu-Ki Chow of Washington State Panda Foundation, Mayor Lucas of City of Steilacoom, Principal Erwin of Lincoln High School and more than 40 teachers and students from Beijing No.8 High School, Lincoln High School, Steilacoom High School and Valley View Middle School of Washington State attended this event. Mayor Lucas and Principal Erwin recalled Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting Lincoln High School in September 2015. They quoted President Xi’s remarks to encourage youth from both countries to carry on this friendship and create a brighter future for U.S.-China relations. Entrusted by President Li Xiaolin of the CPAFFC, Director General Zhang Heqiang expressed his best wishes and warm regards to friends from the State of Washington. He said, young people are full of vitality and hope, just like the rising sun at 8 or 9 o’clock in the morning, like trees of flowers and April of spring. The foundation of China-U.S. friendship has its roots in the people and its future rests with the youth. He hoped youth from both countries remain closely connected henceforth, nurturing friendship and promoting China-U.S. relations for generations to come. Vice Principal Zhang Chunlin said, a year’s plan starts with spring. The spring trip of the delegation to China may usher a very start of long-time exchanges. He also expressed his hope that the two schools from Beijing and their Washington counterparts establish cooperative relations, and forge common progress by constant communication and deepening friendship. Co-Chair Ronald Shu-Ki Chow said, youth from both countries could learn more about each other’s cultures and values through exchanges and communication, which will certainly lay a solid foundation for the consolidation and development of U.S.-China friendship. At the event, students from both countries chorused “On the Fields of Hope”, a house-known Chinese folk song, expressing their expectations for better future and aspirations to cultivate the fields of hope together.   

Mme. Lin Yi, Vice President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), met with Mme. Chansamorn Wattanavekin, the founder of Thai-Chinese Women Association (TCWA), Mr. Sanan Angubolkul, Chairman of the Board of the Bangkok College of Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU), and student representatives from training class for Chinese language consisted of high-level entrepreneurs on April, 3rd. Mm. Lin Yin thanked the efforts Sanan Angubolkul and Chansamorn Wattanavekin had made for a long time on promoting the cause of friendship between peoples of China and Thailand and said that CPAFFC would like to strengthen the cooperation with Thailand in the fields of economy, trade, training for the youth, employment, entrepreneurship and etc.. Mme. Chansamorn Wattanavekin expressed that the prospect for the two countries to cooperate is broad. She hoped to establish more platforms with CPAFFC to develop pragmatic exchanges in the fields of youth, old people , women and etc.. Mr. Sanan Angubolkul said, Thailand supports the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) in various countries and actively takes part in the construction of the BRI. He also said that Thailand would like to promote the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries jointly with CPAFFC in the fields of the economy, trade, investment, culture, tourism and etc..