Shanghai, July 18-To mark the 60th anniversary of founding of the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (SPAFFC), Shanghai local news portal website Eastday.com had an interview with Zhou Muyao, former Shanghai vice-mayor and vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress, who traced back the achievements in the city’s people-to-people diplomacy since the very beginning of the 21st century and expressed wishes for its future development.

In the early years of the 21st century, Zhou was a senior official in charge of local foreign affairs of Shanghai and also served as president of the SPAFFC. Foreign affairs and people-to-people exchanges with foreign countries were of great significance as China faced up with another golden era for her development in the new century, Zhou remembered. He believes that people-to-people diplomatic work, or in other frank words, “making friends” should better serve the city’s economic development, cultural exchange and social development.

What makes Shanghai’s people-to-people diplomacy?

Shanghai is a city typical of the ideas of a Chinese saying that all rivers run into sea, which means the city always opens arms to diversities in cultural background as her unban spirit. For years, the city thinks it her compelling obligation to serve the whole country and to see the world as well. Zhou said that since Shanghai opened to the outside world quite early, it is easy for exotic cultures to survive in the city and expats will find only a little difficulty in getting accustomed to living, which have paved way for development of people-to-people diplomacy.

The SPAFFC is a mass organization committed to forging closer ties between Shanghai and the world and to making Shanghai better known by people all over the world. Since its establishment in 1956, the association has created variety of opportunities for communication and exchange. For instance, in 2015 the association received a total of 161 delegations from 58 different countries and organized and assisted in 28 groups abroad. Also, so far the association has maintained good relationships with 345 foreign friendly organizations. Zhou believes that Shanghai’s people-to-people diplomacy is well driven by a professional seasoned team who has sixty-year-long profound working experience.

The children’s diplomacy

The SPAFFC devotes itself to collaboration and exchange between the city and the world in economy, society, hi-tech, culture, education, sports, etc. Zhou emphasized that the association’s real value comes in “making friends”, which means connecting with other countries in people-to-people ways, especially in communication among juveniles and children from all over the world.

In 1990s the people-to-people diplomacy was envisioned for establishment of a smooth mechanism for juveniles and children from domestic and all over the world. The association organized the Shanghai International Children’s Cultural and Art Festival and the Shanghai International Youth Interactive Friendship Camp.

Starting from 1994, the Shanghai International Children’s Cultural & Art Festival is the oldest multi-national children’s cultural exchange program in China. So far, the festival has drawn nearly six thousand participants from over forty countries and regions who have made friendships with more than ten thousand domestic children. The children’s diplomacy also means letting domestic children go abroad besides welcoming foreign children to China. The festival was held in Sydney in 2005 and in Rome in 2008.

From 2005 to 2016 the Shanghai International Youth Interactive Friendship Camp has received in total over a thousand young participants from nearly fifty countries and regions. The features of joy, interaction, friendship and “to be a folk ambassador” were shown with a string of experience programs of “to become a Shanghainese in one day”, “I love Shanghai” Urban Orienteering Competition, “A Bite of China” Chinese cuisine, and folk craftworks.

 “Honorary Citizen” and “Magnolia Award”

Zhou hopes that the SPAFFC will pass on the fine tradition of “making friends” to make “Shanghai Honorary Citizens” and winners of “Shanghai Magnolia Award” better known throughout the world.

The year of 1989 saw the very beginning of honoring foreigners who live in Shanghai for their outstanding contributions to the city’s development. In 1992 the city established “Magnolia Gold Award” and “Magnolia Silver Award”. In 1993 the honorable award was given for the first time to the foreign friends for their achievements in Shanghai’s economic development, social development and foreign exchange. In 1997 the Shanghai honorary citizenship title was introduced as the top level prize for expats in the city. By the end of 2015, 39 expats were titled as “Shanghai Honorary Citizen”, 289 winners of “Magnolia Gold Award”, and 1009 of “Magnolia Silver Award”.

The future prosperity of Shanghai’s people-to-people diplomacy

In the new century, shanghai local people have shown mounting enthusiasm in foreign exchange and thus have had closer ties with people from all over the world. For the future vision of people-to-people diplomacy, Zhou advised deep engagement of the mass and making innovation. That’s to say, the previous practice of “more welcome and less going abroad” is in need of transition into the way of “more welcome and more going abroad”.

In March 2016 the association has started to work in strategic cooperation with Eastday.com in overseas marketing, branding, event planning, and people-to-people exchange, of which Zhou highly praised, saying that people-to-people diplomacy should keep up with the development tendency of “Internet+”.

For Chinese version please click: http://shzw.eastday.com/G/20160628/u1ai9479697.html