Celebrate friendship with South Asia for a shared future: BPAFFC attends 9th China-South Asia Friendship Organizations Forum

The 9th China-South Asia Friendship Organizations Forum 2025 was held in the Maldives from September 13 to 14. The forum was co-hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), the Organization of South Asian Regional Friendship and Cooperation with China (OSARFCC), and the China-Maldivian Cultural Association (CMCA). The opening ceremony was graced by the presence and speeches of H.E. Mohamed Waheed Hassan, Special Envoy of the Maldives President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and former President of the Maldives; Dr. Yang Wanming, President of the CPAFFC; H.E. Mohamed Rasheed, President of the OSARFCC and President of the China-Maldivian Cultural Association; Mr. Anoop Ranjan Bhattarai, former rotating president of the OSARFCC and Chairman of the Nepal-China Executives Council; and Mr. Indrananda Abeysekera, founder of the OSARFCC and President of the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social & Cultural Cooperation (ASLCSCC). More than 100 people attended the forum, including government officials, chiefs of friendship organizations, and representatives in cultural, economic, trade, and business communities from the Chinese localities of Beijing, Shanxi, Liaoning, Anhui, Henan, Sichuan, Xizang, and Jinan, as well as South Asian countries like the Maldives, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. H.E. Kong Xianhua, Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives, and Ji Yongjun, Deputy Secretary-General of the CPAFFC, attended the activities of the forum. Wu Bing, Vice President of the BPAFFC, delivered a speech at the event.

Themed “Mutual Learning, Peace and Prosperity for a Shared Future,” this forum featured Sub-forum 1: Mutual Learning and Cultural Exchanges and Sub-forum 2: Prosperity for Shared Future: Trade and Investment.

At Sub-forum 1, Wu Bing delivered a keynote speech titled The Role of Culture in Promoting Peace and Mutual Understanding. He introduced the functions of Beijing as the capital and the diverse cultural exchanges the BPAFFC has carried out in recent years in the fields of traditional cultural exchanges, sports events, and youth exchanges. As he said, the BPAFFC always regards culture as a general language across boundaries and a bond for building consensus, and is ready to upgrade friendly cultural exchanges to practical cooperation and build more bridges that facilitate communication and enhance non-governmental friendship by organizing flagship exchange programs, expanding practical cooperation among younger generations, and improving mechanisms for regular communication.

Wu Bing, Vice President of the BPAFFC, delivers a speech.

During the forum, the BPAFFC also signed a memorandum of understanding with the CMCA. The two sides agreed to strengthen practical cooperation in various areas, and set up an “overseas service station” at the CMCA to better support Beijing-based companies investing in the Maldives.

BPAFFC and CMCA sign an MOU.