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
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and
China.
USCPFA has over 50 chapters across the U.S. According to its website, the group "organizes and conducts educational tours to China, often in conjunction with its continuing exchange with the
(CPAFFC)."
History
USCPFA was founded as a national organization in 1974. Its founding convention was held at the University of California in Los Angeles, with speakers including authors David Crook and
Han Suyin
Rosalie Matilda Kuanghu Chou (; 12 September 1917 or 1916 – 2 November 2012) was a Chinese-born Eurasian physician and author better known by her pen name Han Suyin (). She wrote in English and French on modern China, set her novels in East a ...
. The first National Chairman was
William Hinton, author of ''
Fanshen
''Fanshen: A Documentary of Revolution in a Chinese Village'' is a 1966 book by William H. Hinton that describes the land-reform campaign during the Chinese Civil War conducted from 1945 to 1948 by the Chinese Communist Party in "Long Bow Villag ...
''. He was later succeeded by California attorney Frank Pestana. Notable members of the National Steering Committee included
Koji Ariyoshi
(1914–1976) was a Nisei labor activist and a Sergeant in the United States Army during the Second World War.
Early life
Ariyoshi was born in Hawaii in 1914 to Japanese immigrant parents. Ariyoshi grew up helping his family make a living on a ...
, a veteran of the World War II
Dixie Mission
The United States Army Observation Group, commonly known as the Dixie Mission, was the first US effort to gather intelligence and establish relations with the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army, then headquartered in the mo ...
to
Yenan
Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an) ...
and founder of the Hawaii-China Friendship Association, and New York activists Helen V. Rosen and Esther Gollobin. The Koji Ariyoshi Award, established after his death in 1976, is the organization's highest honor. In the years after Nixon's opening to China and before full diplomatic relations were established under President Jimmy Carter, it became the main way that ordinary Americans could visit the People's Republic of China, through its extensive tour program. National policies are established by the membership, which meets biennially at a national convention. A national board of directors implements national policy and meets twice each year.
Starting in the 1970s, the national association or regional chapters published the journal ''New China'' and short books and pamphlets such as Debbie Davison, Mark Seldon,
William Hinton, ''Chou En-Lai and the Chinese Revolution / Conversations with Americans: Interviews'' (Los Angeles: US–China Peoples Friendship Association, 1977), Hugh Deane ''Remembering Koji Ariyoshi: An American GI in Yenan'', and ''China and Us'' (New York: U.S.-China Peoples Friendship Association). Diana Greer is the current president of USCPFA.
Barbara Harrison served as the organization's president from 1991 to 2005.
Although the organization publicly states that it is non-political, its website states, "We recognize that friendship between our two peoples must be based on the knowledge of and respect for the sovereignty of each country; therefore, we respect the declaration by the United States of America and the People's Republic of China that the resolution of the status of Taiwan is the internal affair of the Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Straits."
See also
*
*
One-China policy
The term One China may refer to one of the following:
* The One China principle is the position held by the People's Republic of China (PRC) that there is only one sovereign state under the name China, with the PRC serving as the sole legit ...
References
External links
*
USCPFA pamphlets from the 1970s
{{DEFAULTSORT:US-China Peoples Friendship Association
China–United States relations
People's Republic of China friendship associations
United States friendship associations
1974 establishments in the United States
Organizations established in 1974