ICRC president pays official visit to China

Geneva/Beijing (ICRC)– ICRC president Peter Maurer is today starting a three-day visit to China at the invitation of the Chinese government, to attend the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII in the Asia-Pacific region.

"The ICRC worked throughout the East-Asia region during WWII, visiting prisoners of war and supporting the national Red Cross Societies with medical, relief and financial support. It is important to remember that it was the large scale civilian casualties of WWII, many of them in China, which convinced States to agree on a fourth Geneva Convention in 1949, finally protecting civilians during war. Helping parties to armed conflict to apply this protection remains the daily task of the ICRC today," said Mr Maurer.

During his visit, Mr Maurer will be received by Vice-President Li Yuanchao to exchange views on how to better respond to global humanitarian needs created by armed conflict and complex emergencies. He will also meet with justice minister Wu Aiying to discuss subjects of mutual interest.

The ICRC president will meet Mr Chen Zhu, President of the Red Cross Society of China, to discuss common areas for development, in order to strengthen this important relationship.

In addition, Mr Maurer will meet Mr Cai Minzhao, president of Xinhua News Agency, to discuss the role of media in reporting on humanitarian crisis and to sign a memorandum of understanding on closer cooperation to highlight the humanitarian consequences of armed conflict.

At the invitation of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, Mr Maurer will address a forum on Challenges of Humanitarian Action in the Current International Security Environment, and will engage in a dialogue with Chinese specialists and policy makers in this field.

For further information, please contact:

Shuangfeng Zhang, ICRC Beijing, tel: +86 10 85323290-301
Ewan Watson, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 33 45
Francis Markus, ICRC Geneva, Mobile: +41 79 244 64 24