Honorable Bhofal Chambers, Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Hon. Cllr. Deweh E. Gray, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs
Honorable Representatives of the Liberian Government and Legislature,
Dear colleagues of the diplomatic corps,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends.
Good evening!
Welcome to the reception of the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China! Entrusted by H.E. Yin Chengwu, the new Chinese Ambassador to Liberia, and on behalf of the Chinese Embassy, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the guests present today, extend sincere greetings to all Chinese compatriots in Liberia, and express my heartfelt thanks to friends from all walks of life who have contributed to the promotion of China-Liberia friendship!
74 years ago, the Communist Party of China (CPC) led the Chinese people to win national independence and liberation by fighting with no fear of sacrifice, no fear of fatigue, and eventually established a new China. During the past decades, the CPC has united and led the Chinese people to continuously explore the road of development in line with our own national conditions, and has led China to make remarkable achievements in many fields, like economic and social development, scientific and technological innovation, and promotion of the people’s livelihood. Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC accomplished the historic tasks of poverty alleviation and realized the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, which has led to sweeping changes in Chinese society.
With hard work, today’s China has developed from being penniless at the beginning of the founding of the People’s Republic of China to becoming the world’s second largest economy, the biggest industrialized country, the largest trading country in goods, the country with the largest foreign exchange reserves, and the major trading partner of more than 140 countries and regions; it has developed from only being able to make tables and chairs, teapots and tea bowls, and grow rice at the beginning of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, to today’s most complete industrial system in the world, and leading the world in such technological fields as high-speed railway, 5G, and new energy vehicles.
Dear friends.
Looking ahead, the prospects for China’s development will be brighter. The 20th National Congress of CPC held in October last year clearly put forward that by the middle of this century, the central task of the CPC will be to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the Second Centenary Goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. Currently, against the backdrop of a fluctuating downward trend in the world economy and a more complex and severe external environment, China’s economy has shown resilience and vitality in its continuous recovery, and the International Monetary Fund predicts that China’s economy will grow by 5.2 percent in 2023, which will have a positive boost to the global economy.
Looking ahead, the fruits of China’s development will benefit the world more. According to data released by the World Bank, China’s average contribution to world economic growth from 2013 to 2021 has reached 38.6%, exceeding the combined contribution rate of the G7 countries, making it a veritable engine of world economic growth. Ten years ago, President XI put forward the Belt and Road Initiative which has received positive responses from more than 150 countries and 30 international organizations up to now, and has so far resulted in more than 3,000 cooperation projects, boosting investment of nearly one trillion U.S. dollars, making it the most popular international public product and the largest international cooperation platform. In October this year, China will hold the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, with the aim of providing a new platform for international economic cooperation and a new impetus for the growth and development of all countries as well as the world economy. According to the World Bank’s estimation, the full implementation of the relevant transportation projects under the Belt and Road framework is expected to increase global income by 0.7% to 2.9% by 2030, and lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty and 32 million people out of moderate poverty. And it has been proved that China’s development cannot be separated from the world, and the world’s prosperity also needs China.
Dear friends.
Although China and Africa are distant, the great friendship between the Chinese and African peoples has a long history. China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future and a community of interests with mutual beneficial cooperation. This year marks the 10th anniversary of President Xi’s putting forth the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and of pursuing the greater good and shared interests for China’s relations with Africa. Over the past decade, China has been steadfastly practicing this principle. And China-Liberia relations have made great strides under the joint leadership of the presidents of the two countries and the support and promotion of friendly people from all walks of life. Cooperation between the two countries has also achieved fruitful results in the areas of economy and trade, medical and health care, infrastructure construction and human resources development, which have benefited the peoples of the two countries.
At present, China is embarking on a new journey towards fully building a modern socialist country, and is striding forward to promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through a Chinese path to modernization. We firmly believe that the new achievements of China’s development will surely bring more new opportunities for the development of Liberia. We are ready to join hands with our Liberian brothers to further deepen cooperation and carry out more cooperative projects to improve people’s livelihood and well-being, so as to jointly realize the beautiful dream of the people of the two countries in pursuit of a happy life.
Finally, I would like to propose a toast, to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, to the long-lasting friendship between the peoples of China and Liberia, to the unity and progress of all peoples of the world, and to the health of all the distinguished guests at the reception.
Cheers!
Thank you!
