On September 30, 2022, Chinese Ambassador Dr. Xiao Jianguo attended the reception on celebrating the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and delivered a speech. The full text is as follows:
Your Excellency, Dr. Ramos Horta, President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste,
Excellencies Ministers, Vice-Ministers, State Secretaries from line ministries (the Council of Ministers, Defense, Public Works, Petroleum and Minerals, Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Education, Finance, Social Communication),
Members of the National Parliament,
Commanders from the Military and Police,
Colleagues from Diplomatic Corps and UN Representatives,
Representatives from the local Chinese Communities,
My country fellows from the Chinese Enterprises and the 9th Medical Team,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
Good evening!
Welcome to our reception to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. As you know, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the past two years, our National Day events could not be held offline. Today, we finally manage to gather here face-to-face with joy and laughter, marking a moment when we are stepping out of the impact of the pandemic and striving back to normal.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to dignitaries and all the friends who have always cared about and supported the development of China-Timor-Leste friendship! Especially President Ramos-Horta’s presence this evening graced us. Thank your Excellency President from the bottom of my heart.
Tomorrow is October 1st, the National Day of China. 73 years ago, under the unremitting efforts and arduous struggles of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the People's Republic of China, was founded. Over the past 73 years, China has adhered to independence, embarked on a development path suited to China’s own national conditions. Especially in the past 10 years, under the leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with Party Secretary-General Xi Jinping at its core, China has made remarkable achievements in economic development, poverty eradication, environmental protection, anti-corruption, diplomacy and so on, and wrote a magnificent chapter in the history of China as well as of the world.
Particularly, over the past two years and more, we have brought about a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and ushered in a new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects. We have solved the problem of absolute poverty from history leftover, and achieved the poverty reduction goal of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule. We coordinated pandemic prevention and control with economic and social development, and achieved positive results. China managed to maintain the lowest COVID-19 infection rate and mortality rate in the world while keeping its economy one of the fastest growing economies in the world, continues to be the "stabilizer" of world economy. China’s economy is becoming more resilient, more balanced, coordinated and sustained.
A new era has come in China’s foreign relations. We continue the policy of opening up to the outside world. We proposed to build a community with a shared future for mankind and China’s "Belt and Road Initiative" has been endorsed and implemented around the world by 140 countries and 31 international organizations, including TL. We are working for a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation, striving for regional and world peace, stability and prosperity. And we declare China will never seek hegemony and oppose anyone to do so.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
Last year, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, reaffirming our determination and belief to take the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and peaceful development. In two weeks, the Communist Party of China will hold its 20th National Congress. It will be an important meeting to be held at a critical time as China embarks on a new journey toward its second centenary goal of building a modern socialist country in all respects. At this national congress, the Communist Party of China willfully review the major achievements made and valuable experience gained in China's reform and development endeavors. It will also formulate programs of action and overarching policies to meet China's new development goals on the journey ahead in the new era and the new expectations of the people call on the Party, the nation and all races to be united for the aim to realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, and it has entered a new phase of uncertainty and transformation. Covid-19 is still lingering, regional conflicts keep flaring up. The Cold War mentality, unilateralism and protectionism are resurfacing. Economic globalization has encountered headwinds. Deficit in peace, development, trust, and governance has grown. Human society is facing new tests.
In order to pool synergy to meet challenges, promote the recovery the world economy and solve the global security dilemma, Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI), contributing Chinese wisdom and solutions to improving the global development and security. The Global Development Initiative calls on all countries to foster global development partnership, to achieve more robust, greener and more balanced global development. The global security initiative calls for a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, to abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and to build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture. China has always been and will continue to be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order. China welcome all stakeholders, including TL to get involved in these two initiatives for a better world in the future.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and also marks the historical and successful visit by HE Wang Yi，State Councilor and Foreign Minister, in this June. China and TL enjoy a time-honored contacts and friendship. Over the past 20 years, the two sides have supported and trusted each other with steady development of bilateral relations and increasingly deepening practical cooperation. Just now, the video titled “retrospect and prospect” played on the screen gave us a glimpse of the main events and important moments between of two countries in the past 20 years and more. As it showed, China has extended assistance and support in various areas following the TL’s independence struggle, nation and state building and development processes that have taken place ever since. In fact, just as President Ramos-Horta said, China was the only big country then which gave support to the independent struggle of Timorese people. “A friend in need is a friend in deed”. China is always standing firmly with TL in very difficult times or in a time of urgent need. In particular, during Covid-19 pandemic, China was the first country to extend our helping hand and was the first country to dispatch a chartered flight to deliver large quantity of anti-epidemic supplies to Timor-Leste. When the catastrophic floods hit Dili April last year, China also offer emergency and humanitarian assistance, even all my staff members in Embassy donated part of their salary to the flood relief. In the meantime, China appreciates TL's firm pursuit of the one-China principle, and understanding and supporting China in safeguarding its core interests.
We always attach great importance to the bilateral relations, and regard Timor-Leste as our good neighbor, good friend and good partner, set our bilateral relations an example of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and common development among all countries, big or small. The time-honored friendship over the past 20 years and more is a precious wealth of both of us and a solid foundation for us to move ahead. China will always be a friend of TL and will stay committed to consolidating the current achievements between our two countries, and is willing to uphold the original aspiration of establishing diplomatic ties with Timor-Leste, continue the traditional friendship, enrich the connotation of bilateral relations, expand our practical cooperation under “Belt and Road Initiative”, strengthen coordination in regional and multilateral issues and support each other on issues concerning each side's core interests and major concerns. For example, China supports TL to be a member of ASEAN and WTO. Let us work together to open up new prospects for the development of bilateral relations and push the comprehensive partnership to a new level.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
A month ago, I had the pleasure to attend the completion ceremony of the China-Timor-Leste Friendship Football Field built with Chinese aid. Overlooking the football field in the sunlight, the blue sea and the green artificial grass are so dazzling. Some Timorese friends said that it is the most beautiful football field in Timor-Leste. I believe that with the deepening of the cooperation between China and Timor-Leste, there will be more and more fantastic scenery like this, and the future of China and Timor-Leste will be more and more beautiful!
Thank you. Obrigado!