CPAFFC Vice President Lin Yi met in Beijing with Mr. SATAKE NORIHISA, Governor of AKITA PROVINCE Prefecture, Japan， on October 13th. Vice President Lin Yi welcomed the delegation to visit China and admired its efforts and contributions made to improve local exchanges between China and Japan for a long time. Vice President Lin Yi introduced the measures made by CPAFFC about local exchanges between Chinese and foreign countries and hoped that the exchanges between AKITA PROVINCE Prefecture and other regions in China could achieve results so as to make contributions to enhancing mutual understandings between the two peoples. SATAKE NORIHISA thanked Vice President Lin Yi for meeting them and introduced the exchanges and pragmatic cooperation between AKITA PROVINCE Prefecture and friendship cities in China, including Gansu Province, Tianjin, Shanghai and other cities. SATAKE NORIHISA expressed the appreciation for the assistance given by CPAFFC and CJFA. He said that they are willing to further improve the exchanges in various fields between AKITA PROVINCE Prefecture and China, and welcome more Chinese tourists to visit AKITA PROVINCE Prefecture. Both sides also exchanged opinions on topics that concern them both such as strengthening the exchanges and cooperation in the fields of the local economy and culture between the two countries, and the development prospects of the economic cooperation in the Northeast Asia.

On 11th Oct., Vice President Xie Yuan met with the delegation headed by Mr. Amilkar Acosta, Executive President of Colombian National Federation of Departments (FND).   Mr.Xie Yuan welcomed Mr. Amilkar Acosta, Mr. Sigifredo Salazar, governor of Risaralda, Mr. Nebio de Jesus Echeverry, governor of Guaviare, and other delegates of the group. He briefly introduced CPAFFC and reviewed the friendly exchanges between people from China and Latin America, including Colombia. Mr. Ji Yongjun, Deputy Director General of Department of American and Oceania Affairs addressed the work on friendly cities between China and Latin America.  H.E. Mr. Oscar Rueda García, the newly-arrived Colombian Ambassador to China and Mr. Acosta appreciated Mr. Xie Yuan to take his time to meet the delegation and spoke highly of the efforts on exchanges between friendly cities carried by CPAFFC. Moreover, they also expressed their willingness to establish more intimate contacts with CPAFFC, in order to extend our cooperation to the areas of local governments, sports and culture, and develop the friendship between the two peoples. 

On October 10th, Vice President Xie Yuan met with Premier Brian Gallant of New Brunswick, Canada and his delegation visiting China at the invitation of CPAFFC. Vice President Xie welcomed Gallant for his first visit to China. He expessed that the exchange of visits between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has brought the bilateral relations to a new height. Mr.Xie introduced the CPAFFC was a national people’s organization engaged in people-to-people diplomacy, aiming to enhance people’s friendship, and further develop sub-national contacts with the rest of the world. CPAFFC was willing to actively promote and establish the mechanism of exchange and coorpation between the Chinese and Canadian leaders so as to promote mutually practical cooperation in the areas of culture, economy, trade, humanities, education, etc. Gallant extended his appreciation for Vice President Xie’s warm reception and said through this visit he experienced the repaid economic development in China. He wished to further the exchange and cooperation in various fields between the two countries. Executive Vice President Mr. Ye Changqing of Hebei Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries attended the meeting.

Vice President Xie Yuan met with Mr. Carlos Enciso Christiansen, the Governor of Florida Department of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay and the Vice President of Congress of Uruguay Governors, on September 23th. Vice President Xie Yuan welcomed Governor Carlos to visit China and introduced the function and the recent work of CPAFFC to them. Vice President Xie also invited representatives from Departments of Uruguay and Congress of Uruguay Governors to attend the First China-Latin America Local Governments Cooperation Forum which will be held by CPAFFC in November in China. Governor Carlos appreciated CPAFFC’s work and made a brief introduction about the development of Uruguay and Florida Department. He hoped that the Florida Department could strengthen the contact with CPAFFC so as to promote the exchanges and cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy, trade, animal husbandry, football and education and etc.. Mr. Ji Yongjun, Deputy Director-General of Department of American and Oceanian Affairs of CPAFFC, attended the meeting.

On September 22, the Nigeria-China Local Government and Business Dialogue, which was organized by the CPAFFC, the Chinese-African People’s Friendship Association (CAPFA), the Nigeria-China Friendship Association and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, was successfully held in Abuja, Nigeria. H.E. Mr. Abdul’ahat Abdurixit, President of the CAPFA, Mr. Qin Jian, Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, H.E. Mr. Liu Changlin, Vice Governor of Jiangxi Province, H.E. Mr. Alhaji Manir Yakubu, Deputy Governor of Katsina State and H.E. Mr. Benson Abounu, Deputy Governor of Benue State addressed the dialogue.          Local government officials and businessmen from Jiangxi Province, Liaoning Province, Changchun city of Jilin Province, Bazhong City of Sichuan Province and Delta State, Osun State, Abia State and Imo State of Nigeria, totaling over 150 participants attended the dialogue. Both sides exchanged views on promoting bilateral local government communication and business cooperation, held in-depth discussion on investment hotspot issues, and released the Declaration on Cooperation by Nigeria-China States and Cities.

From September 7th to 9th, invited by the Foreign Affairs Office of Ningxia Autonomous Region, Vice President Xie Yuan attended the 1st Ningxia International Friendship Cities Forum and delivered a speech in the opening ceremony.  Vice President Xie Yuan pointed out that with the rapid development of Chinese urbanization and the promotion of “the Belt and Road Initiative”, as an important way to deepen understanding, communication and cooperation for Chinese and foreign cities along the Silk Road, activities of international friendship cities play a more prominent role and have a broader arena. As always, CPAFFC and CIFCA will encourage and push forward friendship development among Chinese and foreign cities and actively conduct exchanges in all fields. In the wide area of central and western provinces and regions including Ningxia, we will further increase policy support, and better serve our function as a bridge in promoting communication and cooperation among local governments both at home and abroad. Vice President Xie Yuan also gave full recognition to Ningxia Autonomous Region’s efforts in friendship cities over the past thirty years. Vice President Xie Yuan attended the signing ceremony Mr. Qing Boming, Sectary General of CIFCA, accompanied Vice President Xie Yuan in the forum. He later said in the main forum that, with the all-around development of Chinese “the Belt and Road Initiative”, central and western regions of China are becoming the new forefront of opening up , and Ningxia has become a new business card of Chinese opening up to the outside world. He expressed his sincere hope that Ningxia could make use of its advantages of openness and inclusiveness, continuously explore its cooperation potential in the aspect of international friendship cities, actively expand its “friend circle” of international friendship cities, and boost Ningxia’s progress of opening up, advancing to the world, as well as integrating into the global village. Xian Hui, Acting Chairman of Ningxia Autonomous Region, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. There are over one hundred participants attending the forum in total, including around sixty foreign guests from more than ten countries.     Mr. Qing Boming, General Secretary of CIFCA, delivered a keynote speech in the main forum

On September 1st, Vice President Xie Yuan met with Deputy Speaker Gordon Johnson and other legislators from the state of New Jersey, U.S.. Vice President Xie extended warm welcome to Deputy Speaker Gordon for his second visit to China within one year. He introduced the unremitting efforts CPAFFC has done to promote sub-national cooperation between China and other countries, and listed several cooperation results between China and the U.S.. He encouraged more state legislators to join in the China-U.S. sub-national exchanges and promote friendship between the two countries.   Deputy Speaker Gordon spoke highly of China’s fast development and commended on CPAFFC’s important role in enhancing sub-national cooperation, by hosting events such as China-U.S. Sub-national Legislatures Cooperation Forum. He expressed his willingness to participate and promote New Jersey-China cooperation in all areas.

On August 12, the CPAFFC Vice President Mme. Lin Yi met with the delegation of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF). The delegation consists of H.E. Mr. Abudul Yari, the NGF Chairman and Governor of Zamfara State, governors of Plateau State, Jigawa State, Osun State and Anambra State, as well as NGF Acting Director General. Mme. Lin Yi welcomed the governors to visit China and introduced the CPAFFC’s exchanges with African countries on local government cooperation in recent years. She said that the CPAFFC is willing to actively promote China-Nigeria local government and trade cooperation and facilitate the establishment of friendship provinces and cities between China and Nigeria.  Chairman Yari said that each state of Nigeria enjoys its individual resources endowment and huge potential for development. The NGF will maintain close contact with the CPAFFC to jointly enhance pragmatic local government cooperation between the two countries. H.E. Mr. O.O. Orevba, Charge d’Affaires of the Nigerian Embassy in China, attended the meeting.

On July 28th, Mr. Hao Zhongwei, Deputy Director-General, Dept. of American and Oceanian Affairs, met with Ms. Kari Harvey, Assistant Deputy Minister Intergovernmental Affairs, Government of Saskatchewan. The two sides exchanged ideas on Saskatchewan Premier Hon. Brad Wall’s visit to China in late September this year and wished to further enhance cooperation between local governments of the two countries through this visit.

Vice President Xie Yuan of CPAFFC met with Robert Hertzberg, Member of the California State Senate, on July 13. Vice President Xie Yuan highly appreciated Senator Hertzberg’s continuous efforts to promote exchanges and cooperation between California and China, as well as China-US sub-national legislative cooperation. He said, the First China-US Sub-national Legislative Cooperation Forum was highly recognized by participants from both countries, establishing a new platform for China-US sub-national cooperation. By leveraging sub-national legislative resources, it had radiated new energy into building a new model of major country relationship between China and US. Senator Hertzberg expressed his wish to enhance exchanges and cooperation California and Chinese provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions through the newly established China-US Sub-national Legislative Exchange Mechanism.