October 28, Beijing. (DPRK ISG Information Bureau — RSTV)   

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At the invitation of the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament, a delegation of the International Association of Peace Foundation, led by Comrade Sergey Nikolayevich Baburin, President of the Association, former Deputy Speaker of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee of the DPRK International Solidarity Group, visited the People’s Republic of China from 20 to 23 September to participate in the 2026 International Day of Peace commemorative events held in Wuhan, Hubei Province.

The delegation also included Comrade Alexander Mostov, Director of the Asia Department of the International Association of Peace Foundation and Director of the Fourth Administrative Department of the Central Committee of the DPRK International Solidarity Group, and Comrade Peter Shishkov, Project Coordinator of the International Association of Peace Foundation.

On 20 September, the delegation arrived in Beijing by air and proceeded to Wuhan. There, the members visited the Yellow Crane Tower, a famous Chinese historic site with a thousand-year history, and viewed the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, designed and built with the participation of Soviet experts. That evening, the delegation attended a welcome banquet and held a warm and friendly conversation with Comrade Peng Qinghua, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and President of the Chinese People’s Association for Peace and Disarmament, who was responsible for organising the 2026 International Day of Peace commemorative events. The two sides exchanged views in depth on matters of common interest in a cordial and friendly atmosphere.

On 21 September, the 2026 International Day of Peace commemorative events solemnly opened in Wuhan under the theme “Cooperation to Meet Challenges, Building a Peaceful Home Together.” More than 300 people attended, including political figures and party representatives, representatives of peace organisations, scholars from think tanks and people active in people-to-people friendship from 60 countries. Comrade Peng Qinghua, Comrade Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and Comrade Guan Zhiyou, Secretary of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee, attended the opening ceremony and delivered addresses. UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a video address.

In his address, Comrade Peng Qinghua said that, in the face of changes in the world, the times and history, China was ready to work with all parties to actively implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, and jointly serve as builders of world peace, contributors to global development, promoters of mutual learning among civilizations and defenders of the international order. Comrade Liu Haixing stressed that the CPC was ready to work with all peace-loving and progressive political parties and forces from all walks of life to remain firmly committed to peaceful development and jointly safeguard an international environment conducive to peace and development. Comrade Guan Zhiyou introduced Hubei Province’s economic and social development and expressed readiness to further deepen international exchanges and cooperation.

Before the opening ceremony, Comrade Peng Qinghua met with foreign representatives attending the commemorative events. As a specially invited guest, Comrade Baburin addressed the opening ceremony. He pointed out that Russia was a civilisation awakening to itself, one that had developed its own spiritual and religious values over a thousand years and was now, under President Putin’s leadership, returning to its own path of civilisational development. Russia had always been a cultural and civilisational bridge between East and West; it was resolutely turning towards the East and the South and would not abandon its way of life or its historical and cultural choices. He stressed that the era of globalisation as the unification of the world according to North American standards had ended, and that a multipolar world should be founded on mutual assistance and brotherhood. Russia therefore firmly supported the Global Governance Initiative put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Comrade Baburin’s address was warmly welcomed by those present.

Other foreign guests also addressed the meeting, including Mauritanian National Assembly Speaker Mohamed Bemba Meguett, Malaysian Senate Deputy President Jazlan, and former Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Doncheva. They spoke highly of China’s important role in safeguarding world peace and promoting common development, expressed their readiness to contribute actively to international efforts for peace and development, and pledged to promote inclusive dialogue and solidarity and cooperation, helping build a community with a shared future for humanity.

During his stay in Wuhan, Comrade Baburin also held separate talks with Comrade Liu Haixing, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, and Comrade Guan Zhiyou, Secretary of the CPC Hubei Provincial Committee. In his talks with Comrade Liu Haixing, the two sides reviewed the past and present of relations between China and Russia. Comrade Baburin spoke highly of the personal trust between President Putin and President Xi Jinping and said that Russia firmly supported China’s Global Governance Initiative. In his talks with Comrade Guan Zhiyou, Comrade Baburin learned about Hubei Province’s economic and social development, and the two exchanged views on deepening local-level cooperation. Comrade Baburin also met with the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh and held wide-ranging discussions with several other participants.

On 22 September, Comrade Mostov separately met with Fujita Takakage, Chairman of the Association for Inheriting and Developing the Murayama Statement, and Satoshi Matsumoto, a reporter for Choson Sinbo, exchanging views on matters of common interest.

During the commemorative events, the delegation also visited the East Lake Greenway, the Wuhan Institute of Industrial Innovation and Development, and the Baibuting Community. It also visited the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to learn about achievements in protecting the Yangtze finless porpoise and restoring the Yangtze River ecosystem. Comrade Baburin gave several interviews to Chinese media, saying that China’s annual observance of the International Day of Peace was of great significance: it strengthened the conviction in peace and mutual understanding not only at the state level, but also in the shared social consciousness of the peoples of different countries.

The visit was marked throughout by an atmosphere of friendship and solidarity. The delegation members unanimously stated that the visit had helped further strengthen mutual understanding and trust among the peoples of various countries and would make a positive contribution to consolidating world peace and security.