On November 18, the first director meeting of the Sixth China Overseas Friendship Association (COFA) was held at the Great Hall of the People. Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attended and delivered a speech. Shi Taifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended and presented a work report on behalf of the Fifth Standing Council of the COFA. The meeting elected Shi Taifeng as the president of the COFA and appointed 25 vice presidents and 221 executive directors. Hou Junchen, Founder and Chairman of PROYA, was honored to be invited to the meeting and appointed as a director of the Sixth COFA.
After the meeting, Hou Junchen expressed his gratitude for being elected as a director, noting that this recognition not only acknowledges his personal contributions to promoting exchanges and cooperation in the cosmetics industry between China and overseas but also affirms PROYA’s commitment to an international development strategy. Hou Junchen emphasized that he will thoroughly carry forward the spirit of this meeting, fully leverage the advantages of COFA, and lead the industry to actively respond to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, accelerating the process of internationalization while focusing on both “bringing in” and “go global” to foster new quality productive forces for enterprises and contribute to the high-quality development of the cosmetics industry.
Over the years, Hou Junchen has led PROYA and other Chinese beauty enterprises to make multiple appearances on the international stage, engaging in deep exchanges with global industry peers, upstream and downstream partners, and multinational industry associations through participation in international industry conferences and visits to top global cosmetics companies. In 2015, at the first COSMETIC 360 in France, Hou Junchen introduced PROYA’s development to then French Minister of Economy, Emmanuel Macron, and presented him with a gift featuring Chinese traditional elements, further deepening the exchanges and cooperation between China and France in the cosmetics sector.
Additionally, Hou Junchen has led PROYA to showcase the responsibility and commitment of Chinese enterprises on the international arena. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he guided PROYA to actively respond to international needs by donating a substantial quantity of epidemic prevention materials to the parliaments of France, Spain, and Italy, as well as to overseas Chinese communities and cosmetics associations. These efforts received widespread recognition. As a result, Hou Junchen was awarded honorary medals by the cities of Val-de-Marne and Grasse in France for his contributions to promoting friendly exchanges between the peoples of China and France.