On November 15th, with the theme of “Making Friends along the Belt and Road, Promoting Friendship and Cooperation”, the 3rd Investment Promotion Conference for Fortune Global 500 and World-Renowned Foreign Companies·International Friendship City Forum was successfully held in Wuhan. More than 120 delegates from 22 cities of 21 countries, such as Canada, Netherlands, Greece, Finland and Britain, as well as officials from foreign consulates general in Wuhan attended the forum. Mr. Stephen Harper, former Canadian Prime Minister addressed the Opening Ceremony.  Secretary General Li Xikui pointed out in his speech that in the report delivered at the 19th National Congress of CPC, President Xi Jinping said, we should pursue the Belt and Road Initiative as a priority, give equal emphasis to “bring in” and “going out”, follow the principle of achieving shared growth through discussion and collaboration, and increase openness and cooperation in building innovation capacity. With these efforts, we hope to make new ground in opening China further through links running eastward and westward, across land and over sea. Hope Wuhan can make full use of its geographic advantage and its friendship cities, deepen friendly exchanges and practical cooperation with countries and cities along the Belt and Road so as to rejuvenate the city. We need to work hard to achieve the Chinese dream and share the benefits of development with the rest of the world. Mr. Chen Yixin, Secretary of Wuhan Municipal Committee of CPC, and Mr. Wan Yong, Mayor of Wuhuan attended the forum and delivered speeches. Cooperation projects signing ceremony was also held at the forum.

The Africa-China Friendship Organization Leaders Meeting, which was organized by the CPAFFC and the Chinese-African People’s Friendship Association (CAPFA), were held in Beijing on November 14. The theme of this meeting is “New Opportunities for Belt and Road and China-Africa Cooperation”. CAPFA President H.E. Mr. Abdul'ahat Abdurixit and CPAFFC Vice President Mme. Lin Yi, leaders of 24 friendship organizations from 20 African countries, African diplomats and journalists in China, as well as representatives from Chinese ministries, local friendship organizations and enterprises totaling 150 were present at the meeting. All the leaders of African friendship organizations extended warm congratulations to the convening of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Xi Jinping’s re-election as the General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. Beijing Declaration of the Africa-China Friendship Organization Leaders Meeting was adopted. All the delegates expressed their will to synergize China's Belt and Road Initiative with the development plans of African countries, and continue to give full play to the nongovernment advantages, so as to contribute to the further development of Africa-China friendship in the new era.      

On Novmber 13, Deputy Director General Zhang Ruoning met with Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council and Deputy Leader of Welsh Local Government Association. The two sides broadly exchanged views on topics ranging from China-UK local cooperation to cooperation between the CPAFFC and Welsh Local Government Association.

On November 11, Hao Zhongwei, deputy director general of Department of American & Oceanian Affairs, met with Dennis Richardson, secretary of state of Oregon, in CPAFFC. Mr. Hao briefed him about the work done by CPAFFC in recent years in promoting China-US subnational exchanges and the Nineteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China. He said that the successful state visit by President Trump will further promote China-US relationship and CPAFFC hopes to strengthen cooperation with Oregon in multiple areas, so as to further bilateral exchanges. Secretary of State Richardson said that China was an important partner of Oregon and expressed his hope to strengthen cooperation with CPAFFC and facilitate collaboration and exchanges with China.

Rural Children Disney Cultural Experience Program, cohosted by CPAFFC,  Walt Disney Company Limited (China) and Shanghai Disney Resort, was launched at Shanghai Disney Resort on November 10. Secretary General Li Xikui of CPAFFC, Yvonne Pei, SVP of External Relations, the Walt Disney International and Wang Yan, VP of Government Affairs and Community Relations, Shanghai Disney Resort addressed the opening ceremony. Secretary General Li Xikui expressed his welcome to teachers and students attending this activity. He also wished the children take this as an opportunity to expand their horizon and enrich their knowledge. A happy and healthy childhood would certainly make them more capable of contributing to the construction of their hometowns and the entire country. SVP Yvonne Pei thanked CPAFFC for their great support to this activity, hoping this activity will leave a happy memory to everyone. VP Wang Yan briefed her audience on Shanghai Disney Resort, hoping the teachers and students would spend a happy time at the Resort. 100 teachers and students from Hongan of Hubei, Yan’an of Shaanxi, Jinggangshan of Jiangxi and Zunyi of Guizhou attended the activity. After their stay at Shanghai Disney Resort, they also visited the site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Bund of Shanghai.

On November 8th, Vice President Hu Sishe met with Sujata Koirala, former Vice Premier and Foreign Minister of Nepal, and attended the launching ceremony of Visual Arts of China-The Chinese Folk Arts Exhibition held in Nepal.  Vice President Hu Sishe met with Sujata Koirala Koirala welcomed the working group and thanked CPAFFCC for inviting her to attend the 2017 China (Anyang) International Conference of Chinese Characters. She briefly introduced the current economic and social development of Nepal and said that she is impressed with China’s rapid development, especially in the neighboring Tibet Autonomous Region. She hoped China can also help promote Nepal with its development, especially in areas like infrastructure construction and planter processing of Tibetan herbs. She also stressed that the friendship between the two peoples is the basis, and that people-to-people exchanges can play a role in promoting the friendship. So she was willing to actively promote the cultural exchanges between China and Nepal. Vice President Hu Sishe thanked Koirala for her caring and efforts in the cause of China-Nepal Friendship and briefed her on the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. He pointed out that the 19th National Congress laid a path for the development of China in the next stage. China will continue to deepen reform, promote development for the Chinese people's well-being, and benefit the neighboring countries. CPAFFC will also continue to actively carry out cultural exchanges with Nepal to enhance the understanding and mutual trust between the two peoples.  Launching ceremony of Visual Arts of China-The Chinese Folk Arts Exhibition Launching ceremony of Visual Arts of China-The Chinese Folk Arts Exhibition in Nepal was held in Kathmandu on November 8th morning. The Exhibition will also be exhibited at the National Museum of Nepal and other places. In order to cooperate with the exhibition, the cultural working group introduced two Shaanxi paper-cutting artists and Chinese folk art craft Masters to the local primary school and taught the students the art of paper-cutting, which was welcomed by the school and students. The working group held talks with Nepalese friends from fields of culture and art on the exchange of music, Buddhism and fine arts between China and Nepal, and the two sides agreed to establish a mechanism for cultural and artistic exchange between the two countries.  On-site teaching of paper-cutting On the same day, the working group also visited the city of Manohara and Sankhara, near Kathmandu, and held talks with mayors on cities and cultural exchanges between China and Nepal.  Chinese folk art craft Masters present gift to Nepalese friends On November 6th, the working group visited Nehru University, and met with China studies expert Shaobaoli and five other professors and experts in the humanities and art research and teaching, exploring further cooperation between CPAFFC and Nehru University on a variety of cultural exchanges. Preliminary intention was reached about inviting representatives of the Nepalese side to participate the Chinese Culture Tour For Foreign Diplomats and Experts, China-Nepal Youth Contemporary Art exhibition, and other projects.

The Fifth China-Arab Friendship Conference held for two days came to an end in Beijing on November 7th. This conference was jointly organized by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), China-Arab Friendship Association (CAFA), League of Arab States (LAS) and Federation of Arab-China Friendship Association (FACFA). Its theme is “nongovernmental cooperation of the countries assistance the commonly building of The Belt and Road Initiatives”. Around 150 personages including Mr. Arken Imirbaki, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and President of China-Arab Friendship Association (CAFA), Mme. Lin Yi, Vice President of CPAFFC, and leaders from twelve Arab friendly organizations, representatives from LAS and FACFA, Arab diplomatic envoys in China and representatives from the relevant Chinese institutions, local friendship associations as well as enterprises, attended the conference. Leaders from various friendly organizations sent their warmest congratulations on the successful convening of the 19th National Congress of Communist Party of China (CPC) and applauded that Comrade Xi Jinping was elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee for the second term. They also spoke highly of the achievements China had obtained during the reform and opening up, and the building of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the past five years under the leadership of Communist Party of China. The conference passed 《A Joint Declaration of the Fifth China and Arab Friendship Conference》. The members expressed that they would like to support the Belt and Road Initiatives, strengthen the civilization and the youth exchanges of the countries, and develop the pragmatic cooperation in various fields so as to promote the common prosperity and development between China and Arab countries.  

Director General Zhang Heqiang of the Department of American and Oceanian Affairs met with an LA delegation headed by Tom Gilmore, Chairman of SCOLA, on November 7. Jeff Gorell, Deputy Mayor of LA and Fabiola Vilchez, President and Executive Director of SCOLA, also attended the meeting. Director General Zhang briefed the delegation on the role CPAFFC played in China-U.S. Sister Cities interaction. He said, LA as an important American city had been a leader in cooperation with China. The Tripartite Economic Alliance of LA, Guangzhou and Oakland has set an preeminent example for cooperation between international Sister Cities. He hoped LA continue to play a constructive role in promoting China-U.S. sub-national cooperation. Chairman Gilmore expressed his appreciation to the work that CPAFFC has done to promote LA’s cooperation with China. He hoped to expand LA’s connection with China by enhancing friendly communications with Hangzhou and Chengdu. Deputy Mayor Gorell said, his first visit to China had impressed him profoundly. He hoped to learn more about China, making his own contributions to strengthening LA’s ties with China.

Over 100 heavy-hitters from upwards of 30 countries give talk on global philanthropy development Second “World Philanthropy Forum” Is Slated to Be Held in Beijing The Second “World Philanthropy Forum”, jointly organized by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and Tsinghua University, is slated to be held in Beijing on November 29-30, 2017. The theme of this forum is “Collaboration”. Over 100 heavy-hitters from upwards of 30 countries will engage into seven high-end dialogues and four parallel forums on such topics as strategies for women and children’s health, anti-poverty and social governance, youth development, social influence investment, green cooperation, foundation industry governance and cooperation, charity and social services by Chinese people at home and abroad and “Belt and Road”, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and international social organizations. According to the organizers, the forum will be attended by the heads of such organizations as Ford Foundation, Oxfam, Junior Achievement, Greenpeace, Rockefeller Foundation, British Children's Investment Foundation, British Children's Investment Foundation, Roberson Foundation Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, Global Funders’ Network, World Vision International, World Resources Institute, Tata Trust, Asia Foundation, Give2Asia, Mercy Corps, Center for Asian Philanthropy and Society, The Association of Philanthropy Indonesia, Environmental Defense Fund, The Nature Conservancy and China Center for International Knowledge on Development. Moreover, Julia Gillard, Chair of Global Partnership for Education and former Australian Prime Minister; Helle Thorning-Schmidt, President of the Save the Children and former Prime Minister of Denmark and guests from Russia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, et al. will deliver speeches or take part in dialogues. The second World Philanthropy Forum is jointly organized by the Institute for Philanthropy Tsinghua University, Tsinghua University Social Work Education Center, and China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development. Upholding the philosophy of the first World Philanthropy Forum, this forum will continue to focus on the sharing of experience, academic exchange, policy advocacy and practice concerning public charity and social services around the world, and promote exchange, cooperation, development and personnel training among colleagues in public charity and social work in China and the world; focus on, promote and implement the people’s livelihood projects and people-to-people communication under the Belt and Road Initiative and South-South cooperation framework; and actively implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals and promote the building of the community of shared future. In order to expand participation, reach consensus and promote cooperation, the forum will invite representatives in the academia, business circles, political and social organizations to form a diversified and cross-regional consultancy mechanism and partnership mechanism for the World Philanthropy Forum. At the same time, it will also prepare the academic leadership mechanism to lay a foundation for the forum’s global, academic and development nature. At this forum, the first list of invited consultants and forum partners will be confirmed. It is understood that this forum will also hold public charity and social services collaboration forums concurrently, release the Beijing Declaration on Promoting the Building of the Community of Shared Future and create the Community of Shared Future: public charity and social services collaboration, launch Social Work Cooperation Mechanism for Chinese People”, and announce the overseas location and main agenda for the 2018 forum.   The participants will adopt the participation mechanism whereby guests are selected through invitation and public enrollment. The public enrollment will commence through the public WeChat official account “World Philanthropy Forum”  from November 6 to 13. Please stay tuned. World Philanthropy Forum

A reception celebrating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Russia-China Friendship Association was held grandly in Beijing by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and China-Russia Friendship Association (CRFA) on November 6th, 2017. Mr. Song Jingwu, the Vice President of CPAFFC and the Vice President of CRFA hosted the reception. Mr. Chen Yuan, the Vice Chairman of National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the President of CRFA, Mr. D. Mezentsev, Member of Russia Federation Council (RFC) and Chairman of Russia-China Friendship Association (RCFA), Mr. A. Denisov, Ambassador of Russian Embassy in China, delivered speeches respectively. Nearly 100 Chinese and Russian friendly personages from all walks of life including Mr. Li Huilai, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Ministry, Mr. Wu Tao, former Ambassador of Chinese Embassy in Russia, Mr. I. Tazhetdinov, Vice Premier of Republic of Bashkortostan of Russia, Mr. S. Ivanov, Vice Governor of Tambov, Mr.TYRTSEV, Vice Governor of Amurskaya Oblast, attended the reception. On the behalf of CRFA, Vice Chairman Chen Yuan expressed warm congratulations on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of RCFA in his speech. He said that the friendship between China and Russia for 60 years is inseparable from the great foresight and the pioneering of the former leaders in RCFA, and also the hard-working and the spirit of devotion of the older generation from friendship associations, as well as the actively taking part in and support from the Chinese and Russian friendly personages from all walks of life. Two heads of states speaking highly of the RCFA fully reflected the high attention they paid to the two friendly associations and the fully affirmation they gave on the people-to-people exchanges promoting the development of bilateral relations. The remarkable 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China had come to an end successfully, which determined the direction for China’s development and provided a huge space to develop for the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia. The two friendly associations should remain true to our original aspiration and keep our mission firmly in mind, continue to strengthen the exchange and the cooperation of the two countries in the fields of people-to-people, humanity, locality, youth and etc., inherit the friendship of the two countries, tamp down the social and public support for the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia, so as to make more contribution to the development of the bilateral relations. Chairman D. Mezentsev said that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Putin sent congratulation letters respectively and Chairwoman of Russia Federation Council (RFC) Valentina Matviyenko attended and delivered a speech on  the conference commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of RCFA in Bolshoi Theater in October this year, which fully shows the friendship of the two peoples. He expressed appreciation for the commemorative activity held by the Chinese side in Beijing. A.Denisov pointed out that the commemorative activity of the 60th anniversary of the founding of RCFA was held in Russia and China in succession, which means a new era for RCFA. At present, the bilateral relations has reached the highest level in history, which is inseparable from the personal friendship to mutual trust between the two heads of states, and also the extensive supports from the two peoples. The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China is remarkable. Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev, the Prime Minister of Russia, was the first foreign head to visit China after the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which again proved the high level development of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership and more opportunities the bilateral relations will confront. On the reception, the young actors from the two countries performed dances, martial art, face-changing and etc.. The activity was grand and warm, lively and friendly. CCTV, Xinhua News Agency, China News Service (CNS), China Radio International (CRI), China National Radio (CNR), People’s network, China.org.cn and other media reported this activity.     RCFA was founded in October, 1957. Mr. Chen Yuan, the Vice Chairman of National Committee of CPPCC and the President of CRFA, led a delegation to pay special visit to Russia to attend the conference commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of RCFA.