CPPCC Chairman Jia Qinglin Meets with Representatives Attending China Internatio

OOn September 10, Jia Qinglin, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), met with chief representatives of local governments and friendship cities organizations from more than 40 countries and from Chinese local governments and friendship cities organizations.

He noted that the 2010 China International Friendship Cities Conference was being convened at a time when the World Expo was being held in Shanghai and both focused on the same theme of a better city-based life. The success of the conference had not only enriched the Expo’s connotation, but had spread and carried forward its spirit and concept, and also promoted the progress of the cause of international friendship cities and world peace.

International friendship cities activities had expanded from initial bilateral cooperation to multilateral cooperation with the areas of cooperation extending from politics, economy and trade to culture, education, urban construction, environmental protection and personnel exchanges. These activities greatly boosted exchanges and cooperation among cities of various countries in the various fields, enhanced understanding and friendship among different peoples and made important contributions to promotion of unity and progress of humankind. The friendship-city relations between China and other countries over 37 years had become an important bridge and platform for China to develop and consolidate bilateral relations and carry out multilateral and regional cooperation, and enhanced mutual understanding and friendship between the people of China and other countries.

The Chinese Government attached great importance to the international friendship cities activities, encouraged local governments to conduct substantive exchanges and cooperation with their foreign counterparts, build platforms for exchanges and cooperation such as the international friendship cities conference, actively explore new areas of cooperation, seek new ways of cooperation and foster new points for the development of this cooperation. Cities in various countries should conduct cooperation in a friendly, practical and reciprocal manner, improve substantial exchanges in an all-round way, enhance understanding and friendship among peoples so as to promote civility and prosperity of cities and achieve common development and progress.

In briefing on China’s economic and social development, Jia said that, over the past 60 years since the founding of the PRC, and in particular three decades or so of reform and opening up, China had made outstanding achievements that captured worldwide attention in its economic and social development. Earthshaking historic changes had taken place. Its comprehensive national strength had increased markedly and people’s life had constantly improved. Reforms were being carried out in every sector and new achievements made in all aspects of the country’s modernization drive. Now, China, with its economic aggregate ranking third in the world, had become the world’s largest and most influential emerging economy. But, it remained a developing country. By the end of 2009, its per capita GDP was US$3,700, 30% of the world’s average level. Measured by the UN standard of US$1.25 per person per day, China still had 150 million people living in poverty. Its economic and social development was unbalanced between urban and rural areas and among regions. There existed acute structural imbalance in economic and social development and many “short boards” hindering development. It would take the Chinese people several decades of unremitting efforts to achieve common prosperity and realize modernization.

On China’s foreign policy, China unswervingly followed the path of peaceful development and a win-win strategy of opening up and would strive to build a harmonious world featuring lasting peace and common prosperity.

Yu Zhengsheng, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee;Han Zheng, Mayor of Shanghai; Chen Haosu, CPAFFC President, and LiXiaolin, CPAFFC Vice President, were present at the meeting.