Asia:NZ establishes young leaders exchange with Chinese partner

Asia:NZ has entered into a partnership with the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) to run a New Zealand-Sino Youth Exchange programme. 

Exchanges will enable select young leaders of both countries to pay mutual visits and build long-term partnerships to promote communication among future leaders of both countries.

Five members of the Asia:NZ Young Leaders Network took part in the inaugural exchange in October 2009 travelling to China to undertake a programme of meetings, briefings and activities. 

A reciprocal visit to New Zealand by five Chinese young leaders took place in early June 2010 hosted by Asia:NZ. The Chinese group was made up of delegates from China’s Social Security Fund, China National Water Resource Department, State Foreign Administration and the CPAFFC.

This programme is a joint initiative with the CPAFFC following the appointment to the Asia:NZ board of honorary advisers of Mme Li Xiaolin who is Vice President of CPAFFC. Mme Li is on the delegation accompanying the Vice President of China, Xi Jinping, in his current visit to New Zealand. She will take the opportunity to sign an exchange of letters acknowledging the Sino-New Zealand Youth Exchange programme with the Asia:NZ Chairman, Hon Philip Burdon.

Mme Li Xiaolin graduated as BA in English language from Wuhan University in 1975 and then joined the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), where she successively assumed the post of Chief of the Division of US Affairs, Deputy Director General and Director General of the Department of American and Oceanian Affairs.  From 1990 to 1992, she served as First Secretary of the Chinese Embassy in the United States.  In 1996, she was made Vice President of CPAFFC and concurrently Vice President of the Chinese Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development attached to CPAFFC. In 2003, she was elected into the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. She studied at the University of California in Los Angeles from 1982 to 1983 and graduated with an MA in Asian American Studies.

Mme Li is one our honorary advisers from Asian nations who are an important human resource for Asia:NZ in its objective to make New Zealand more Asia literate. The honorary advisers provide knowledge and influence as well as access to networks at the most senior level in their respective country of appointment for the New Zealand Government and Heads of Mission.

Photos:

1) Mme Li Xiaolin and Hon Philip Burdon establish Sino NZ Young Leaders Exchange in Auckland - by Kelvin Hu

2) Mme Li hosts Asia:NZ chairman Philip Burdon in Beijing in May 2010