From 9 to 19 December, a five-member delegation of the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs(CPIFA) headed by Ambassador Zha Peixin, Council Member of CPIFA and Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress visited Sweden, the UK and Hungary to brief the European side on China’s future development and related policies in the next 10 years. The delegation comprised Professor Wang Tongsan, Academician and Senior Research Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Professor Xie Zhiqiang, Deputy Director of the Department of Sociology of the China Central Party School of CPC Central Committee, and Ambassador Peng Keyu, Vice President of CPIFA.
Members of the delegation had extensive contact with politicians, parliamentarians and think tank scholars in three countries via public lectures, seminars and private meetings. They updated China’s overall development, historical position, objectives of economic and social development and ways to address its problems and challenges in the course of development. They answered questions from the audience on China’s domestic and foreign policies. The delegation held two lectures at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) and the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, each with over 60 participants, including senior China experts, former diplomats, representatives from business, finance and media, as well as ordinary citizens. In addition, it had discussions with the All Party Parliamentary China Group of UK, the Swedish-Chinese Friendship Group of the Swedish Parliament, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and the Swedish Institute of International Affairs. Members of the Chinese delegation also called on Sir Geoffrey Howe, Baron Heseltine and Lord Prescott, former Deputy Prime Ministers of the UK, and Dr. Medgyessy Peter, former Prime Minister of Hungry.
The European side responded positively to delegation’s introduction. They fully acknowledged the accomplishments of China’s reform and opening-up policies in the last 30 years and believed that the 18th National Congress of the CPC witnessed a smooth transition of the leadership in China that guaranteed continuity of development in the country. They also expressed desire to deepen bilateral exchanges and cooperation with the Chinese side. The European side spoke highly of the visit of the delegation right after the conclusion of the 18th CPC National Congress to share information on China’s development. They remarked that the Chinese experts’ briefing was authoritative, insightful and persuasive and helped deepen their understanding of development in China.
On the side-line of the tour, Vice President Peng Keyu met with executive officers of some of the top think tanks in the three countries and explored the possibility of future exchange and cooperation between CPIFA and its European counterparts.
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