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.