Remain true to the original aspiration and press ahead shoulder to shoulder

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Category: Opinion

Published: Monday, 30 November -0001 00:00

Written by Bill Jaynes

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Message by H.E. Ambassador Huang Zheng on the 71st Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China & the 31st Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between China and the FSM 

October 1st is the National Day of the People’s Republic of China.

71 years ago, the Chinese people wiped out “the hundred year’s humiliation” through a heroic and arduous struggle and became the real master of our country by founding the New China, the People’s Republic of China. For the past 71 years, especially since the Reform and Opening Up 40 some years ago, huge changes have taken place in China, recording unprecedented rapid development and long-term stability in the history of mankind. China’s comprehensive national strength and international influence have been significantly elevated and the Chinese nation has made historic leaps from standing up, growing rich to becoming strong, leading the Socialism with Chinese Characteristics into a new era. China’s GDP has increased from 367.9 billion RMB (54.18 billion USD) in 1978 to nearly 100 trllion RMB (14.73 trillion USD) in 2019, with the income per capita raised 25 times and more than 850 million people lifted out of poverty. Though a poor and backward country from the beginning, China has developed to be the world’s second largest economy and ranked No.1 in industrialization, trade in goods and foreign exchange reserve among all countries around the globe. In this historical process, the Chinese people’s sense of gain, happiness and security has been continuously bolstered. China’s human rights conditions have never been better before.

While devoted to the development of herself, China also endeavors to play the role of a builder of global peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of international order.

We have consistently pursued an independent foreign policy of peace and advanced the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence as the fundamental rule of international relations. China has constantly advocated for peaceful resolution to international disputes and equal status of all countries regardless of their differences in size and strength. China’s veto power in the United Nations Security Council has always played an

important part in constraining some countries’ impulse to go to war and rejecting the logic of power politics. China has become the United Nation’s second largest financial donor and the largest contributor to UN Peacekeeping Operations in terms of military among the Five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council, with a total of more than 40,000 officers and soldiers dispatched to participate in 25 peace-keeping operations.

We have firmly adopted the win-win strategy of opening-up and is fostering a new dual-cycle development architecture at home, with the domestic cycle as the mainstay and with domestic and international development reinforcing each other. Being a major engine of global economic growth, China has contributed over 30% of the GDP increase of the entire world every year since 2019, far more than the second largest contributor. China has become the largest trading partner of 130 some countries and regions around the globe and provides a huge market with maximum potential for enterprises of all countries. We advocates joint pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative and have signed relevant cooperation agreements with more than 170 countries and international organizations, including the FSM, which introduced a new platform for international cooperation and blazed new trails for economic globalization.

We have staunchly supported the UN in playing its central role in international affairs, adhered to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and widely participated the efforts in resolving global hot-spot issues. China directly took part in the design and establishment of the current international order and international system, being the first country to sign the UN Charter. China is committed to building a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation. China is actively involved in global governance, taking responsibility in and making important contribution to, as a major country, the such areas as non-proliferation, addressing climate change, trade liberalization and facilitation, human rights protection and promotion, achievement of UN Millennium Development Goals. The Chinese leaders have always held true to our solemn promise that China will never seek hegemony, expansion, or sphere of influence. China is a determined guardian of multilateralism, democratization of international relations and free trade and opposer to unilateral bullying, power politics and protectionism. We want to join hands with all countries in the world to uphold the values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom shared by the whole human race.

The fundamental reason for the spectacular achievements of the New China both in national development and international affairs we’ve seen ever since its founding 71 years ago is the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China. The leadership status of the CPC is a right choice by history and the Chinese people. Led by the CPC, the Chinese people has found and embarked on a development path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, which conforms to China’s national conditions and requirements of the time. On the great journey for the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, the CPC members remain true to our original aspiration and keep our mission firmly in mind, unswervingly seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation and at the same time contributing wisdom and strength to the mankind’s noble cause of peace, development and progress. The world today is going through changes of a kind unseen in a century, faced with ever mounting instability and uncertainties. The CPC keeps standing on the right side of history by, while consolidating and leading the Chinese people to manage well our own business, implementing in depth Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy to work toward building a Community with Shared Future for Humanity, for the uncompromising purpose of safeguarding world peace and promoting common development.

The latest perfect depiction of the CPC members remaining true to our original aspiration and keeping our mission firmly in mind is the great struggle against COVID-19 pandemic. Under the personal command and planning of CPC General Secretary Xi Jinping, by putting people’s lives and interests first, with the people all over China united as one, we had curbed the pandemic’s initial momentum within a little over one month.  Within about three months, we had achieved decisive results in eliminating the virus in Wuhan City and Hubei Province, the once epicenter, securing major strategic victories in the national fight against the pandemic. Now, by coordinating efforts in pandemic prevention and control and in economic and social development, hastening the recovery of production activities and restoring people’s normal life pattern, China became the first major economy to return to growth since the outbreak, whose GDP had stabilized and, after a period of decrease, grown by 3.2 percent in the second quarter. It is forecast that China’s GDP will increase by 2% for year 2020, which highlights China’s role as an important driver of the world growth and the global market confidence. In the mean time, China has been vigorous in fulfilling international responsibilities and advancing the building of a global community of health for all. We have engaged in cooperation and exchanges with the international community against the pandemic in an open, transparent, and responsible manner and shared the knowledge about the virus and the experience in containing its spread, doing all we can to provide humanitarian aid in support of the global endeavors to stem the pandemic. China has announced twice to provide cash donation to the World Health Organization in the total amount of 50 million USD. Chinese medical experts have had 70 some exchange programs of pandemic control and prevention with counterparts from many countries and international organizations. China has dispatched 34 medical expert teams to 32 countries, sent 283 shipments of assistance to more than 150 countries and 4 international organizations, and provided and exported protective materials to more than 200 countries and regions. China will continue to take a series of measures to press ahead international cooperation against the pandemic, including living up to our words that COVID-19 vaccine development and deployment in China, when available, will be made a global public good. We will take priority in providing the vaccines to developing countries like the FSM through various means, including donation and assistance.

On September 11th, 2020, the 31st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the PRC and the FSM, Chinese President Xi Jinping and FSM President David W. Panuelo exchanged warm-hearted congratulatory messages. Both heads of state reiterated their important consensus reached during President Panuelo’s historic state visit to China last December, which is to develop in length and depth the China-FSM Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and to consolidate our “Great Friendship” on the fundamental bedrock of the One-China Principle. China and the FSM will make concerted efforts to further increase exchanges between our administrative and legislative branches of government, expand cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, agriculture, fishery, infrastructure and tourism within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, promote people-to-people and sub-national exchanges, and strengthen coordination and mutual support on major international and regional issues. The Chinese side will continue to help the FSM people embark on the path of sustainable development to the best of our ability and make concerted efforts with the FSM side toward overcoming the pandemic, as well as to pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative and building a Community with Shared Future for Humanity, which ultimately leads to an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity.