Dear Anna,

Finally I get to go to China.

This weekend I received a telephone call from the national office of
US/China Peoples Friendship Association telling me that I have been selected
to join a 10 person delegation to China May 8-May 21. On April 21-25 the
delegation will meet in Washington DC for a seminar and to discuss plans for
the May trip and our presentations at the scheduled forum.

We pay for our own airfare, but in China we will be hosted by the Chinese
People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). They
are our Chinese sister organization. We in the US are volunteers they are a
semi government organization.

We will meet with other China friendship organizations from Australia, New
Zealand, and Canada.
The combined delegation will attend a one-day forum in Chongqing along with
representatives of four China provinces. From there we will go to Tibet for
four nights and then to Beijing for a big celebration of CPAFFC's, 50th
anniversary. I am very excited about the trip especially since I will meet
with our counterparts from other countries, Chinese delegates I have hosted
in NYC, and also it has been 14 years since I visited Tibet.

Will keep you posted.
Best regards to all.
In friendship,
Alfred Abati
New York