IMAN Hosts Chinese New Year Dinner in Beijing
Tuesday, 17 February 2015The Iman Foundation held its annual dinner this week in Beijing to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
2015 brings in the Year of the Goat in Chinese tradition.
The event was hosted by Ribal Al-Assad, Chairman of The Iman Foundation and guests included The Honourable Yang Fuchang, China's former Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and The Honourable Cai Fangbo, China's former Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and former Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress.
Others in attendance included:
H.E. Ambassador An Huihou
H.E. Ambassador Liu Lide
H.E. Ambassador Wu Chuanfu
H.E. Ambassador Li Qingyu
H.E. Ambassador Yu Xingzhi
H.E. Ambassador Zhao Xuechang
Ms Xiaonan Su Hawke (Iman Vice-Chair)
Mr. Zhu Min
Mr. Yang Kai
Mr. Xu Rungqian
Mr Xie Guowang
Mr Albert Teo
Mr Yang Peng
Ms Lu Jingyu
Ms Yang Shuhan
Mr Wang Fei
Mr Zhao Liangyu
Mr Yang Shuyi
Mr Jia Ziqian
Mr Peter Lu
Mr Harry Li
Mr Tony Ma
Mr Chen Wenli
Mr Gu Huang
Ms Vicky Ji
Mr Michael Zheng
Ms Shu Xin
The conversation was wide-ranging and there was complete agreement that the East and West share many common ideals and values. Participants restated their commitment to promote respect between cultures through dialogue and a mutual appreciation and understanding.
There are also many mutual challenges that the East and West face; mainly the ongoing fight against extremism, sectarianism and terror. Only through cooperation between the whole international community can these issues be effectively challenged.
Following the event, Ribal Al Assad commented:
"I was delighted to host this Chinese New Year dinner which was attended by so many high profile individuals, The Iman Foundation has long realised the importance of a close and mutually beneficial relationship with our Chinese counterparts and it is always a pleasure to further strengthen the bonds between us.
I am very excited about the initiatives that we discussed during the event and we certainly hope to take many of these forward in the coming year. May I wish everyone celebrating the Year of the Goat a healthy and prosperous year ahead."
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