A Visit from an Old Friend from New Zealand

Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Beijing NGO Network for International Exchanges 21:48 2023-03-21 Posted in Beijing

On the morning of March 21, the Beijing People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries welcomed the visit from an old friend, Mr. David Bromwich, former president of the New Zealand-China Friendship Society. Since the last meeting was three years ago, both the host and the guest were very excited to see each other. Zhang Qian, Executive Vice President of the Association, and Mr. Bromwich shared with each other the colorful online activities each side conducted after COVID-19 struck, introduced their respective work plan after the resumption of international travel, and discussed the exchange and cooperation projects between them for this and next year. Both pledged to continue to implement the memorandum of cooperation signed by the two organizations and build more platforms for communication and exchanges between the young people of the two countries. For this trip, Mr. Bromwich is acting as the representative of the current President Chris Lipscombe, to invite the Association’s leadership on behalf of the New Zealand-China Friendship Society to attend the Society’s General Assembly scheduled in May 2023. Dai Jianjun, Level II Bureau Rank Official, was also present in the meeting.

The Association arranged a field trip for Mr. Bromwich to Haidian and then Fengtai. On the afternoon of March 20, Mr. Bromwich had a discussion with the Haidian District Education Commission and Beijing 101 Middle School Education Group to learn more about the development of the China-New Zealand Local Education Forum, and exchanged views with the attendees on how to better support the forum, and continue teacher and student exchange programs. Lu Yunquan, Chief Principal of Beijing 101 Middle School Education Group, accompanied Mr. Bromwich on his trip.

On the next afternoon, Mr. Bromwich visited Nanyuan Forest Wetland Park and Lize Financial Business District in Fengtai. He saw and heard how the city used the vacated space on the southern section of the central axis and consolidated green space along it to build a green, cultural axis, and how Lize Financial Business District, the first garden-style business district in China, had acted on the belief that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets” and blazed a new path of green, low-carbon and high-quality development. Mr. Bromwich spoke highly of Fengtai’s high-quality green development, and said that he would introduce the district to more friends at home, and in particular encourage more young people to visit Fengtai for exchanges and mutual learning.