Vice-Chairman Lu Yongxiang Meets with Guests of CAIFC

On June 8th, Lu Yongxiang, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the 10th and 11th National People’s Congress of China, met at the Great Hall of the People with the delegation of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii (CCCH) representing the 64th Narcissus Festival.

Vice-chairman Lu congratulated on the election of the new Narcissus Queen and the new Narcissus Princess. He said that the visit of the Narcissus delegation coincided with the “Xi-Obama Summit” in California. Focusing on the theme of building a new pattern of great power relationship, Chairman Xi Jinping and President Obama frankly exchanged their views on bilateral relations and major international and regional hotspot issues, and reached important consensus. As the ancient Chinese saying goes, “Amity between people holds the key to sound relations between states.” The development of bilateral relations not only requires close contacts through official channels, but also depends more on the foundation laid by active civil exchanges. The Narcissus Queen and the Narcissus Princess are civil ambassadors to promote Sino-U.S. friendship. Vice-chairman Lu hoped that the delegation could take advantage of this visit to communicate with the Chinese younger generation, enjoy the beautiful scenery in China, and experience the development results China has achieved since the reform and opening up. At the same time, he reminded the delegation of the objective fact that China is still a developing country that faces many problems and difficulties, and he hoped that the delegation could share their relatives and friends with this trip in China after returning home and play a greater role in promoting the mutual understanding between the peoples of China and the U.S.

Vice-chairman Lu noted that the Narcissus Festival has been held for 64 years with enduring appeal and has become an important cultural event with expanding size and influence in Hawaii. It not only shows that the Hawaiian Chinese highly value the heritage of Chinese traditional culture, but also indicates that the Chinese culture is attractive to the American people. Over the years, the CCCH has actively protected the interests of the local Chinese, strongly promoted the Chinese culture, and made substantial contributions to promoting Sino-U.S. exchanges in culture, technology, economy and trade. He expected the CCCH to further contribute to enhancing the Sino-U.S. friendship under the new leadership.

Betty Hoang Brow, president of the CCCH, indicated that the youth, wisdom and vitality of the Narcissus Queen and the Narcissus Princess are recognized both by the Chinese and non-Chinese communities in Hawaii. They are the future leaders of the world and will enhance the mutual understanding between the Chinese and the American people by making positive use of the combination of East and West in blood and culture.

President Betty Hoang Brow said that Chairman Xi Jinping probably was the first Chinese leader who visited the U.S. almost immediately after taking office, which demonstrated his particular attention on the Sino-U.S. relations. The America people were highly concerned about the meeting between Xi Jinping and Obama, hoping the two leaders to deepen their friendship and trust and lay the foundation for further cooperation. The CCCH will, as always, act as a bridge to enhance the American people’s real understanding of Chinese culture and China, and will actively promote the Sino-U.S. exchanges in trade, finance and culture, as well as folk communication, to deepen the friendship between the Chinese and the American people.

Vice-chairman Zhao Bo and vice secretary general Deng Wenqing of the CAIFC were present at the meeting.

Vice-chairman Lu talking cordially with President Betty Hoang Brow

A group photo of vice-chairman Lu and the delegation led by the Narcissus Queen and the Narcissus Princess