President Li Xiaolin met with Mr.Hiroyasu Ando, President of the Japan Foundation, on February 9th at CPAFFC. Mr. Song Jingwu, Vice President of CPAFFC, attended the meeting. Mr.Hiroyasu Ando introduced the upcoming Kabuki performances produced by the Japan Foundation which will be held in Beijing in March. President Li extended welcome to Mr.Hiroyasu Ando and spoke highly of the Kabuki performances. As this year marks the 45th anniversary of the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations, she expressed her wish to strengthen the cooperation with the Japan Foundation in the field of culture exchanges between the two countries, in order to continuously inject vitality into the improvement and development of China-Japan relations.

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the "Splendid Sichuan, Home of Panda - 2017 Hong Kong Spring Festival Folk Cultural Gala" hosted by China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development (CFFPD), Chinese Culture Friendship Association, Sichuan Provincial People's Friendship Association and H.K. United Arts Entertainment Co., LTD, was held in H.K. Kowloon Park on February 4, 2017.   Mme. Li Xiaolin, President of CPAFFC and Honorary President of CFFPD, Mr. Ye Zhuang, Vice Governor of Sichuan Province,  Ms Florence HUI，Under Secretary for Home Affairs, H.K. SAR, Ms Michelle LI Mei-sheung, Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, H.K. SAR, Ms. Jia Ling, Secretary General of CFFPD and other 500 audiences attended the opening ceremony.  President Li Xiaolin said in his opening remarks that Spring Festival is the most important traditional festival of the Chinese people and also the common cultural gene. This Spring Festival Folk Cultural Gala brings not only the festival greetings of the mainland people, but also the original folk culture of Sichuan characteristics,  which can let H.K. compatriots enjoy the charm of Chinese culture at home. Ms Florence HUI expressed her thanks to CPAFFC and CFFPD for hosting this Spring Festival Folk Cultural Gala in H.K.. She said that the event provides a good chance for the H.K. people to feel the happiness of Spring Festival and to learn more about the splendid Sichuan culture.  The opening ceremony attracted the People's Daily, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, China Radio International, China News Service, China Daily, Takungpao, Wenweipo, Phoenix TV, Sichuan Daily, Sichuan TV and Sichuan News Network to give full reports.   As the first big comprehensive and cultural activity in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland of Leisure and Cultural Services Department, H.K. SAR and the key activity of 2017Happy Spring Festival of Ministry of Culture, the event takes Splendid Sichuan -Home of Panda as its theme and shows the intangible cultural heritages, local flavors, tourism pictures, local products and folk dances of Sichuan.   

On the morning of January 25th, CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin met with Japanese Ambassador to China YOKOI YUTAKA. They had an exchange of views on commemorating the 45th  anniversary of the normalization of the diplomatic relations between China and Japan. President Li said that, this year marks the 45th  anniversary of the normalization of the diplomatic ties of the two countries. It is an important year for the Sino-Japanese relations. Even if the China-Japan relations are sensitive and fragile, it still faces many important opportunities. CPAFFC and CJFA would like to work together with Japanese Embassy in China to hold a series of commemorative activities to improve the bilateral relations. Ambassador YOKOI YUTAKA thanked President Li and CPAFFC for giving the Japanese Embassy in China a lot of support in the last year. He expressed that the Japanese Embassy in China would actively assist the Chinese side to prepare the commemorative activities. Both sides also introduced their own activities planned to be held in this year to each other. Vice President of CPAFFC Song Jingwu and Minister of the Japanese Embassy in China YAMAMOTO YASUSHI, attended the meeting.

Mme. Li Xiaolin, President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), met with Mr. Miguel Angel Ramires Ramos, new Cuban Ambassador to China on January 18th, 2017. President Li Xiaolin welcomed Ambassador Ramires to his new post in China and reviewed her twice good experience in visiting Cuba in the past. She said that CPAFFC attaches great importance to developing traditional friendly relations toward Cuba and made a brief introduction about the exchange situations in the past and the cooperative plans of the two countries in future. Ambassador Ramires also introduced the Cuban situations to President Li Xiaolin and thanked her for visiting Cuban Embassy in China to Mourn the Passing of Cuban Revolutionary Leader Fidel Castro and thanked CPAFFC for sending a message of condolence. Ambassador Ramires hoped to continue and develop the traditional relations with CPAFFC, so as to strengthen the exchange and cooperation in various fields of people-to-people friendship between the two countries. Mr. Ji Yongjun, Deputy Director-General of Department of American and Oceanian Affairs of CPAFFC, attended the meeting.

CPAFFC President and CFFPD Honorary President Mme. Li Xiaolin met with Ms. Janet Lim, Special Advisor to UNHCR on China on January 18, 2017. President Li warmly welcomed the visit of Ms. Janet Lim and introduced years’ of charity projects of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries(CPAFFC) and the China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development to her. She also expressed the wishes of close cooperation with UNHCR on China in the fields of women and children.  Ms. Janet Lim expressed her appreciation on the charity projects of CPAFFC and CFFPD and introduced the projects of UNHCR on China. She also hopes to establish cooperation with CPAFFC and CFFPD as early as possible to do more work on the global refugees affair.  Mr. Li Xikui, Secretary-General of CPAFFC and Council President of CFFPD attended the meeting. 

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.