At the invitation of Sri Lanka-China Friendship Association (SLCFA), Brunei-China Friendship Association (BCFA) and National Strategy Institute of the ROK (NSI), Mr. Zhang Baowen, Vice-Chairman of NPC Standing Committee, Chairman of the Central Committee of China Democratic League and CAFIU Vice-President, headed a CAFIU delegation to the three countries from October 17 to 26, and attended the 2015 “Understanding and Cooperation” Dialogue held in Colombo. CAFIU Vice-President Ai Ping was also in the delegation. During the visit, Vice-President Zhang Baowen attended a number of political meetings and people-to-people exchange activities, introducing the Belt and Road initiative and passing on the message of friendship and cooperation. With the support and help of the Chinese Embassies in Sri Lanka，Brunei and the ROK, the visit has achieved expected objectives and came to a complete success.

The first stop of the visit is Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka means the “Bright and Wealthy Land” in Sinhala and the country is referred to as the “Pearl of the Indian Ocean”, which is an important country along the routes of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. It was 6 o’clock in early morning when the delegation arrived at the Colombo International Airport, but SLCFA Secretary-General Mr. Sumathi and his colleagues had already been waiting for us for a long time. They warmly welcomed the delegation and presented beautiful garlands to Vice-President Zhang Baowen and the delegation members. The delegation was touched by the hospitality and friendship of the Sri Lanka people the moment we set foot on the land of the country.

 

In Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka President Sirisena and Speaker Jayasuriya respectively met with Vice-President Zhang Baowen. They expressed gratitude to the Chinese side for its support and help in Sri Lanka development and international affairs as well as their willingness to make joint efforts with the Chinese side to enhance the friendship between the two peoples, deepen pragmatic cooperation and promote bilateral relationship to a new high. Zhang Baowen said that the Chinese side would take jointly building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road as an opportunity to promote cooperation on major projects and further broaden and strengthen exchanges and cooperation in all areas so as to constantly make new progress in the development of the bilateral relations.

 

Zhang Baowen also attended the 2015 “Understanding and Cooperation” Dialogue cosponsored by CAFIU and SLCFA, which consisted of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Young Students Speech Contest and Seminar on People-to-People Exchanges between China and Sri Lanka. The Speech Contest, themed “Human Development Inspired by the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road” attracted nearly 600 students across Sri Lanka to participate in. After over one month’s competition, 27 student contestants reached the final. On October 17, the final round was held in the studio of Sri Lanka National TV Station. The contestants elaborated from all perspectives that the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road would bring unprecedented opportunities for countries along the routes including Sri Lanka and expressed their wishes to take active part in jointly building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. Vice-President Zhang Baowen and Speaker Jayasuriya attended the Prize Giving Ceremony of the final round and presented awards to the winners, which embodied the encouragement and support from the leaders of the two countries to the young generation to understand and participate in the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

 

At the Seminar on People-to-People Exchanges between China and Sri Lanka, Zhang Baowen carefully listened to the representatives from Sri Lanka friendly organizations about their opinions and suggestion on advancing China-Sri Lanka friendship and jointly building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. They pointed out that due to the economic recession and the reduced demand of the traditional markets of Sri Lanka’s export including the United States and the European Union, China has already become an important export destination for Sri Lanka. China’s Belt and Road initiative has been widely supported by countries along the routes and will provide broad space for the development of Sri Lanka. In the summing-up speech, Vice-President Zhang Baowen reviewed the time-honored history of China-Sri Lanka friendly exchanges and encouraged the Sri Lanka organizations to take jointly building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road as an opportunity to continuously play an unique role so as to make due contribution to promoting the people-to-people bond of the two countries. Zhang Baowen’s speech was greeted with a storm of applause.

 

Having concluded the visit to Sri Lanka, the delegation arrived in Brunei on October 20. China and Brunei established diplomatic relations in 1991. Over the 24 years, the mutual understanding, friendship and pragmatic cooperation between China and Brunei have been continuously expanded. Brunei’s unique geographic advantages, natural conditions and its key position in the ASEAN determine the country’s important role in building the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

 

The delegation headed by Vice-President Zhang Baowen was the first one sent by CAFIU to visit Brunei and this visit was significant for exploring people-to-people diplomatic practice between China and Brunei. The Bruneian side attached great importance to Zhang Baowen’s visit. Speaker Rahman met with Zhang Baowen and the delegation also held discussions with people in charge of BCFA and Borneo Bulletin and visited residents in Kampong Ayer. When having discussions with the Brunei side, Zhang Baowen briefed on the Belt and Road initiative and gave relevant information about the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road as well as illustrated the significant meaning of the Belt and Road initiative on China-Brunei and China-ASEAN future cooperation. Zhang Baowen’s remarks were positively responded by the Bruneian side. BCFA President Ang Swee Chuan said that China and Brunei are traditional friendly neighbors. China’s 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road initiative will provide an unprecedented opportunity for Brunei’s development. As a monarchy country with political stability, Brunei welcomes more and more Chinese enterprises to make investment here.

 

For the delegation members who visited Brunei for the first time, the tour in Brunei National Maritime Museum was a great help in better understanding the history of Brunei and China-Brunei friendly exchanges. This museum has three exhibition halls. In each hall there was an exhibition of a special theme, but all the exhibitions mainly reflected the life of the Bruneian people who lived on the sea and Brunei’s relations with foreign countries especially China through seaborne trade. In one of the exhibition halls, there was the Special Exhibition of China’s Quanzhou “Maritime Silk Road”. The items on display were mainly porcelain objects, ship models and navigational instruments, revealing the historical origin and development history of China-Brunei deep friendship. According to the Curator of the Museum, since its opening in last March, the Exhibition had been very popular among the Brunei people and attracted a great number of visitors. In order to allow more Brunei people to know the history of the bilateral friendly exchanges and the Maritime Silk Road, the Museum decided to extend the Exhibition display period, while the scheduled closing date was at the end of April. Vice-President Zhang Baowen said that we could see from the history of the two countries which is longer than a thousand years that China has a long history of trade, cultural and people-to-people exchanges with Southeast Asia countries including Brunei. The great sailor Zheng He left numerous footprints and moving stories all over the shores in Southeast Asia. Today in a more interconnected world, we hope that China and Brunei as well as the entire Southeast Asia will promote more exchanges and win-win cooperation for the benefits of the people of all countries concerned.

 

The last stop of this visit is the Republic of Korea. During the 23 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the ROK’s economy entered a transition period after rapid development. The ROK’s domestic market is saturated and China’s economic development has unfolded a good opportunity. The need for development made the two countries a community of common interests and win-win cooperation has been a consensus. China’s Belt and Road initiative attracts wide attention from all circles of the ROK. Discussions on how to further promote the development of the bilateral relationship and enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges became the main task of the delegation’s visit to the ROK.

 

On the afternoon of the day when the delegation arrived in Seoul, ROK Vice-Speaker Jung Gab-yun met with Zhang Baowen. Speaker Jung extended warm welcome to the delegation for its visit to Korea and pointed out that in recent years, the ROK and China have been keeping close high-level exchanges and established the strategic cooperative partnership and the bilateral relationship is in the best historical period. He believed that with the joint efforts of the leaders of the two countries, the development of ROK-China relationship would achieve more progress. Zhang Baowen said that China-ROK exchanges and cooperation have been developing rapidly with great achievements in all areas, presenting a gratifying situation of increasingly deepened political mutual trust, constant development of economic and trade cooperation and flourishing people-to-people and cultural exchanges. China’s Belt and Road initiative is dovetailed with the Eurasian Initiative put forward by President Park Geun-hye, which will provide unprecedented opportunities and space of development for the bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

 

In the ROK, the delegation met with CAFIU’s old friend Mr. Lee Sei Kee, President of Korea-China Friendship Association (KCFA) again. Although a man of eighty, President Lee is still wholeheartedly engaged in promoting Korea-China people-to-people exchanges. During the discussion with the delegation, President Lee expressed in Chinese his love towards China and the Chinese culture and proudly introduced KCFA’s efforts in advancing the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples. He also sincerely wished the Belt and Road and the Chinese Dream be realized at an early date. When concluding the meeting, President Lee proposed that all the Korean and Chinese participants sang the Chinese song No CPC, No New China, which moved the delegation deeply.

 

NSI was the inviter of the delegation’s visit to the ROK. NSI President Mr. Choi Jong Chan, and Council Members who once visited China at the invitation of CAFIU held discussions with the delegation. President Choi said that in recent years, ROK-China relations have been developing soundly and steadily. Not long before, President Park Geun-hye attended the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Many Korean people including himself paid close attention to this activity and watched the TV broadcast, which left a deep impression on the Korean people. The NGOs of the two countries should further strengthen exchanges and cooperation so as to make contribution to enhancing mutual understanding between the two peoples and promoting new development of the bilateral relations.

 

In the ROK, Zhang Baowen also called on Korean Joong Ang Daily. Apart from Seoul, the delegation visited Jeollabuk-do, where we were cordially received by the local government. Wherever in the ROK, the delegation could feel that China-ROK friendship and cooperation enjoyed popular support across the country and are still developing and deepening.

 

Although the ten-day visit is short, the delegation has made great achievements. We deeply feel the strong aspiration of the people of the three countries for jointly building the Belt and Road and believe that the people-to-people diplomacy will play a more and more important role in further enhancing mutual understanding and people-to-people bond between the Chinese people and people of other countries along the route of the Belt and Road.