The Sino-American Friendship Association (SAFA) is a nonprofit organization based in New York City whose stated aim is to develop cross-cultural collaboration between the United States and China. SAFA assists schools in running Chinese cultural clubs and hosting "Chinese culture weeks." SAFA also promotes
traditional Chinese medicine, participates in the
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and
Times Square Ball Drop, and has organized trips to mainland China for members to meet with officials of the
United Front Work Department.
SAFA has organized trips for American mayors to China with the support of the
Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. In 2012, SAFA paid for a promotional slideshow of
Xi Jinping on a
Times Square jumbotron during one of his visits to the United States.
SAFA's honorary president is
Yuan Xikun
Yuan Xikun (born 1944 in Kunming, Yunnan Province) is a Chinese visual artist and environmental activist. In 2011, Yuan proposed building a giant sculpture composed of sand collected from five of earth's continents and water from its Arctic and ...
.
The group's advisory board includes officials such as Bingde Zhou, former vice president of
China News Service
China News Service (CNS; ) is the second largest state news agency in China, after Xinhua News Agency. China News Service was formerly run by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, which was absorbed into the United Front Work Department of the Ch ...
, and former Chinese consul general in New York Zhongwen Qu.
The group garnered public attention in August 2022 following its sponsorship of a
New York Mets game that included memorabilia with the
flag of the People's Republic of China.
SAFA subsequently stated that it is "not involved in
united front work."
See also
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US–China Peoples Friendship Association
The US–China Peoples Friendship Association (USCPFA) is a nonprofit educational organization whose stated aim is to develop and strengthen people-to-people diplomacy between the United States and China. USCPFA has over 50 chapters across the U ...
*
Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries
References
External links
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{{China–United States relations
China–United States relations
Non-profit organizations based in New York City
1992 establishments in New York City
United States friendship associations
People's Republic of China friendship associations