Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Association Established in New Zealand[Wednesday, 9 February 2011, 4:27 p.m.]

From left) Ms Dadon, the Chinese liaison officer at the Office of Tibet in Australia, at the inauguration of the Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Association in Auckland, New Zealand, on 6 January 2011

CANBERRA:
A Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Association has been established in New
Zealand to promote friendship and better understanding between the two
communities towards resolving the issue of Tibet.The friendship
association, formed voluntarily by a group of educated Chinese and
Tibetans living in Auckland, was launched at a function on 6 January.
Around 30 people, consisting of members of the local Chinese and
Tibetan communities, Tibet supporters, Chinese liaison officer of the
Office of Tibet in Australia, editor of a Chinese newspaper in Auckland
and journalists, attended the function.Addressing the function,
Ms Dadon, the Chinese liaison officer at the Office of Tibet in
Canberra, said: “ The newly formed association would help to strengthen
efforts to bring a mutually beneficial solution to the issue of Tibet
through the Middle-Way policy, and to clear doubts and
misunderstandings between the Chinese and Tibetan peoples.”“The
formation of this association can be considered as an important step
towards helping the Chinese people to understand the reality of the
issue of Tibet and the visions of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” Ms
Dadon added.

Members of the newly formed Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Association in Auckland, New Zealand

She
presented traditional Tibetan scarves (Khata) to the executive members
of the Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Association as a gesture of
appreciation for their initiative.Mr Rinchen, president of the
association, addressed the gathering on the association’s objectives
and its future plan of action. “The Chinese government is making
different deceitful schemes and propaganda to sow discord and obstacles
between the Chinese and Tibetan peoples. We need to make efforts to
clear our doubts and misunderstandings through the Middle-Way policy
envisioned and endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan
people respectively.”Mr Rinchen said efforts would be made to
bring together Tibetans and Chinese to commemorate important occasions
such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday celebration on 6 July,
Tibetan National Uprising Day on 10 March, and the Chinese democracy
movement of 6 June. There would be cultural exchange between the two
communities during the Tibetan New Year to know each other better and
deepen mutual trust, he added.In his address, Mr Chen Weijian,
the association’s vice-president and a long time Chinese supporter of
Tibet, said: “The Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Association in New Zealand
has been instituted in accordance to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s
advice on the need for such an association to foster friendship and
trust between the two communities. The association would make efforts
to facilitate better understanding amongst the Chinese people about the
issue of Tibet and His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visions.”Similar
friendship associations were established in Australia and Japan as part
of the Tibetan people’s efforts to reach out to the Chinese people.