The Council Meeting and Reception Marking CJFA’s 40th Anniversary Held in Beijin

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The year 2003 marked the 40th anniversary of the founding of the China-Japan Friendship Association (CJFA). The council meeting of the CJFA was held in the Great Hall of the People on December 26, 2003. Song Jian, former vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and president of the CJFA, and Chen Haosu, CPAFFC president, respectively spoke at the council meeting and the reception. CPAFFC and CJFA Vice President Chen Yongchang made a report on the work of the CJFA at the meeting. Leaders of the CJFA including Zhang Xiangshan, Xiao Xiangqian, Wen Chi and Wang Xiaoxian and more than 100 council members attended the meeting.

In his speech, President Song Jian recalled the importance that the Party and state leaders attached to the development of Sino-Japanese friendship, spoke highly of the contributions made by successive honorary presidents and presidents of the CJFA, thanked relevant government departments and various circles of society for their support of the work of the CJFA and looked forward to the prospects of the CJFA. He said, In the past 40 years since its founding, with the care given by successive Party and state leaders and active support from people of various circles of society, by upholding high the banner of friendship and bringing the characteristics and advantages of nongovernmental diplomacy into full play, the CJFA has carried out rich and colourful friendly exchanges with people of various circles of Japan, worked hard to develop Sino-Japanese friendly relations and friendship between the Chinese and Japanese people and promote the development of a long-term stable Sino-Japanese relations, and played a unique role of “promoting governmental ties with people-to-people contacts and developing both governmental and nongovernmental ties” in China’s external relations. The document of the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly points out that China will persist in the principle of building a good-neighbourly relationship and partnership with its surrounding countries. The new Chinese leadership has many times mentioned the importance of developing good-neighbourly and cooperative relations with Japan. We will continue to carry forward the fine tradition of “promoting governmental ties with people-to-people contacts and developing both governmental and nongovernmental ties”, uphold the principles and spirit of the three political documents signed between China and Japan, progress with the times and create a new situation in nongovernmental diplomacy.

Entrusted by CJFA President Song Jian, CPAFFC Vice President Chen Yongchang made a report on the work of the CJFA. Chen said, over the past 31 years since the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations, through concerted efforts of the governments and people of various circles of the two countries, remarkable achievements have been made in Sino-Japanese relations in the political, economic, scientific, technological and cultural fields and in the exchanges of visits. Chen pointed out, friendship between the two countries, in the final analysis, is the friendship between the two peoples. The CJFA has always devoted itself to developing friendship with the Japanese people. Since assuming the office of CJFA president in June 1998, Comrade Song Jian has visited Japan many times and worked hard for developing friendly relations with people of various circles in Japan. By inviting Japanese political, economic, cultural and local governments’ delegations to visit China every year and publicizing China’s reform and opening up and its foreign policy, the CJFA has played an active role in deepening Japanese people’s understanding about China and promoting a healthy development of Sino-Japanese relations. The CJFA has carried out many activities such as the meetings of Chinese and Japanese nongovernmental friendly personages, the meetings on Sino-Japanese friendly exchanges, the meeting of leaders of the Chinese and Japanese nongovernmental friendship organizations, the meeting on the exchanges between friendship cities of China and Japan, the issuance of the Declaration on Promoting Sino-Japanese People’s Friendship in the New Century, the Sino-Japanese gathering for cultural and tourist exchanges participated by 5,000 Japanese people, the Sino-Japanese friendship city middle school students table tennis friendly tournament, the celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the normalization of Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations and the 25th anniversary of the signing of Sino-Japanese Friendship and Peace Treaty, etc. All these activities have made positive contributions to promoting the development of Sino-Japanese relations and enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples. Chen said, in the new century, guided by the spirit of the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and in line with the important thought of the “Three Represents”, the cjfa will continue to uphold the banner of Sino-Japanese friendship, carry forward the fine tradition of “promoting governmental ties with people-to-people contacts and developing both governmental and nongovernmental ties”, uphold the principles and the spirit of the three political documents signed between China and Japan, actively expand the fields of exchanges and cooperation, progress with the times and do its work in a creative way so as to further develop Sino-Japanese friendly and cooperative relations to benefit the later generations and make new contributions to the peace in Asia and the world at large.

Representatives of the council members also spoke at the meeting.

After the council meeting, a reception celebrating the 40th anniversary of the founding of the CJFA was held. In his speech at the function, CPAFFC President Chen Haosu said, 40 years have passed since the founding of the CJFA in 1963. It is worth celebrating its 40th birthday, for it has become more mature. Over the past 40 years, actively supported by the Party and people of various circles of society, the CJFA has brought the characteristics and advantages of nongovernmental diplomacy into full play and played a pioneering role. It has established extensive ties with people of various circles in Japan, conducted rich and colourful friendly activities and done a great deal of solid work to enhance friendship between the two peoples, develop Sino-Japanese friendly relations, normalize Sino-Japanese diplomatic relations and promote long-term stable bilateral relations. All this has won commendation from all sections of society and both the Chinese and Japanese people and shown that its work has achieved fruitful results. Chen hoped that by carrying on the fine tradition the CJFA would keep pace with the times, work in an innovative way, further expand fields of its work with enriched contents, and strive to push the nongovernmental diplomatic work to a new level.