The CPAFFC was founded in May 1954 to promote civic exchanges with countries that did not have diplomatic relations with the PRC.[7] The CPAFFC has been described as the "public face" of the CCP's United Front Work Department.[8] Its leadership is drawn from the upper ranks of the Chinese Communist Party and,as part of the United Front Work Department,it has as its goal "to make the foreign serve China" (Chinese:洋为中用;pinyin:yáng wéi Zhōng yòng;lit.'overseas become China use').[9] The CPAFFC sponsors and coordinates various front organizations and influence operations in other countries at the national and sub-national level.[6][10]
History
Predecessor
On October 2,1949,following the founding of the People's Republic of China,the Committee of China's Conference for the Defense of World Peace (Chinese:中国人民保卫世界和平大会) was established with Guo Moruo serving as chairman.[11] On October 5,the General Association of Sino-Soviet Friendship was established,with Liu Shaoqi as its president.[12][13] After the outbreak of the Korean War,on October 5,1950,the "Chinese People's Committee for Opposing the U.S. Aggression against Taiwan and Korea" merged with the "Conference for the Defense of World Peace" and was reorganized into the Chinese People's Committee for the Defense of World Peace Against the U.S. Aggression,with Guo Moruo continuing to serve as chairman.[14]
In 1955,the Association organized a Chinese classical song and dance troupe to visit Finland,Norway,Sweden,Denmark and Iceland,which had not yet established diplomatic relations. They visited the villa of Halldór Laxness,the Nobel Prize winner for Literature,and established a personal contact.[18] In 1956 August,the Association organized a Chinese art delegation to visit Chile,Argentina,Uruguay,and Brazil in South America,which had not yet established diplomatic relations with China at that time.[19] During the visit to Brazil,the delegation was welcomed and entertained by the Brazilian literary and artistic circles represented by Jorge Amado.[20] On the way back,one of the planes exploded,killing ten delegations.[21]
In May 1957,the association organized a Chinese cultural and friendship delegation to visit Nepal and had a meeting with King Mahendra of Nepal.[22][23] In December 1957,Guo Moruo,Bao Erhan and Chu Tunan led a Chinese delegation to Egypt to participate in the Asian-African Solidarity Conference. The delegation was received by President Nasser.[24] In February 1959,a Chinese cultural delegation visited North Korea and signed the first Sino-North Korean Cultural Cooperation Agreement. In April 1961,the association visited Cuba.[25]
On November 20,1961,Chair Chu Tunan led the friendship association to visit Japan.
In 1966,the name of the organization was changed to the "Association of the People's Friendship with Foreign Countries and Culture".[26] In 1969,it was changed to the current name,the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.[27]
In 1970,Wang Guoquan was instructed by Zhou Enlai to return to Beijing to serve as the CPAFFC chair and chair of the China-Japan Friendship Association (CJFA). Subsequently,the CPAFFC under his charge carried out people's diplomacy,and in August 1971,without the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Japan,Wang Guoquan,as the Premier's special envoy,traveled to Japan to attend the funeral of KenzōMatsumura,and to attend the National Congress of the Japan-China Friendship Association for the Triumph of Unity.[28][29] Subsequently,Japanese politicians such as Kakuei Tanaka,Takeo Miki and Yasuhiro Nakasone visited China with CPAFFC's efforts,a prelude to the Japan–China Joint Communiqué in 1972.[30][31][32] In May 1972,the Chinese People's Committee for the Defense of World Peace,the Chinese Committee for Asian-African Solidarity and the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries merged,[33] with offices at No. 1,Taiji Factory Street,Beijing.[34]
In March 1992,the CPAFFC established of the China Association of International Friendship Cities,set up an Economic Cooperation Committee and an International Friendship Cities Exchange Centre,and joined United Cities and Local Governments.[39][40]
On May 15,2014,the CPAFFC organized the China International Friendship Conference and the 60th anniversary of the group's founding,attended by General Secretary of the Chinese Communist PartyXi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.[43][44] During the conference,Xi called on the organization to "make friends widely and establish good relationships”and “create more platforms for cooperation and guide foreign institutions and outstanding talents to participate in the PRC’s modernization efforts".[40]
The China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development (CFFPD) operates under the auspices of the CPAFFC and has forged partnerships with prominent non-profit and private sector entities.[45][46] The CPAFFC has served to cultivate "people to people exchanges" and has attempted to influence sub-national and local levels of government via groups such as the National Governors Association in the U.S.[47] The CPAFFC has sponsored and coordinated with groups such as China Bridge in Germany,the EU-China Friendship Group,Association Sino-Française d'Entraide et d'Amitié(ASFEA) in France,the Italy-China Friendship Association,[48]US–China Peoples Friendship Association,and Neil Bush's George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations,among others.[10][6][49][50]
In April 2015,the CFFPD signed an education partnership with United Technologies (now RTX Corporation).[51] The CFFPD maintains a strategic partnership with the Asia Society in the U.S.[46] Since 2016,the CPAFFC has convened the China-U.S. Sub-National Legislatures Cooperation Forum jointly with the non-profit State Legislative Leaders Foundation.[52][53]
In January 2023,Hideo Tarumi,Ambassador of Japan to China,meets with Songtian Lin,Chair of the Association.On December 16,2023,Chair Yang Wanming visited Cagayan,Philippines.
In May 2019,the CPAFFC inked an agreement with Irish think tank Asia Matters,founded and chaired by former politician Alan Dukes.[54] Since 2021,the CPAFFC has partnered with the United States Heartland China Association (USHCA) to promote agricultural trade between the US and China.[55][56]
Its chairperson between 2020 and 2023 was Lin Songtian,China's former ambassador to South Africa who suggested that the U.S. Army was responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China.[57][58]
In 2023,the Associated Press reported that personnel affiliated with the CFFPD had been involved in influence operations with the Utah state government.[59] In 2024,the CFFPD was instrumental in organizing panda diplomacy efforts in San Francisco.[60]
Responses
In October 2020,the United States Department of State discontinued participation in the U.S.-China Governors Forum to Promote Sub-National Cooperation,established jointly with the National Governors Association in 2011,due to alleged actions by the CPAFFC to "malignly influence state and local leaders" in the U.S.[61][62] However,CPAFFC's China-U.S. Sub-National Legislatures Cooperation Forum remained unaffected by the U.S. Department of State's action.[52]
In July 2022,the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued a warning notice to state and local leaders citing the CPAFFC and the United Front Work Department,stating that CPAFFC is "tasked with co-opting subnational governments" and may exploit sister city agreements to "press its agendas."[63][64]
Organization
The following organizations are set up in the organization of the Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries:[65]
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