First Published: Unity, Vol. 2, No. 18, September 7-20, 1979.
Transcription, Editing and Markup: Paul Saba
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Detroit – The U.S.-China People’s Friendship Association (USCPFA) held its Sixth National Convention here over the Labor Day weekend. This was the USCPF’A’s first national convention held since the establishment of normal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China in January 1979. In light of this development, the 600 delegates, members and guests tackled many important issues, including the adjustment of past plans and programs and reaffirmation of basic tasks.
A highlight of the convention was the visit by a delegation from YOUXIE (the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries). The YOUXIE delegation is being hosted by the national USCPFA on a seven-city tour of the U.S.
The USCPF A has been a key organization in building friendship with the Chinese people among broad sectors. Political activists, students, intellectuals, professionals, businessmen, workers and minority people have all been drawn into the friendship movement. The USCPFA has organized over 100 local chapters in small towns as well as in all the major U.S. cities.
Since the signing of the Shanghai Communique in 1972, working for the normalization of U.S.-China relations was the priority of the association’s work.
The realization of normalization is a turning point for the Association’s work. To reflect this development, the convention adopted a new statement of principles that reaffirms its goals to build active and lasting friendship based on mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and China, and welcomed the establishment of full diplomatic relations.
The convention discussed ways to build on the association’s past friendship work and to improve and expand that work. Additionally, with developing U.S.-China relations, new sectors are opening up to the friendship movement, and ways to approach these sectors were also discussed.
Workshops were held including trade union outreach, outreach to youth, outreach to minority communities, organizing trips to China and people-to-people exchange activities.
The National Minority Caucus, a grouping of minority activists, also met and made plans to reach and involve more minority people in the Association.
Resolutions were passed to continue a number of programs, including the Center for Teaching about China and the Center for U.S.-China Relations, as well as to establish a new publications and resource center.
Other resolutions pinpointed concrete tasks in conducting outreach work to working class and minority people and among youth. A special resolution was passed to support the Latin Women’s Tour to China, a group of Latin women who are raising money to visit China in April 1980.
Plans were made to develop and distribute more educational resources and materials.
In addition to being a working session, the convention conducted a number of educational and social activities. Dr. James Endicott, a former Canadian missionary in China, gave a talk on China and Southeast Asia.
The Detroit Inner City Youth Tour’s presentation on their recent trip to China was lively and especially well-received.
A banquet was held to honor the YOUXlE delegation on September I. Special guests participating in the banquet program included Mary Ann Mahaffey of the Detroit City Council, Judge George W. Crockett, Jr., formerly of Detroit Recorder’s Court, and Dr. Paul Lin, Professor of History at McGill University in Montreal who was a featured speaker. Wang Bingnan, President of YOUXlE, expressed the delegation’s appreciation for the warm welcome it has received. He thanked the Association for its work on behalf of normalization, and encouraged the gathering to continue to build friendship between the U.S. and Chinese peoples.
In this spirit, convention participants left Detroit to build the friendship movement even more broadly under the favorable conditions of normalization of U.S.-China relations.