Vice President Lu Yongzheng,
President Radinja,
Dear Young Friends,

This year marks the 60th anniversary of founding of the PRC. During 60 years, in particular during the 30 years of reform and opening up, China has transformed from a closed, backward and poor country into an open, progressive and prosperous country. China has made giant progress in the economic, political, social, science and technology, cultural and other fields, and has also made significant contribution to world peace and common development. Not long ago, the Chinese people celebrated the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China with an unparalleled excitement and joy.

Despite geographical distance, China and the EU enjoy a long history of contacts, and their people cherish good feelings toward each other, leaving many touching stories. China's relations with European countries have made tremendous headway in the past 60 years. Soon after the founding of China, we established diplomatic relations with a large number of European countries, gradually unfolding bilateral contacts and cooperation. After China and the European Community established diplomatic relations in 1975, China-EU relations have grown into maturity, in tandem with China's reform and opening-up process. Into the 21st century, China-EU relations have achieved leapfrog development, moving forward through three steps. It has evolved from a long-term and stable constructive partnership to comprehensive partnership and to today's comprehensive strategic partnership. China-EU relations have entered a period of most extensive contacts and most fruitful results never seen in history before. Our mutually beneficial cooperation is indeed comprehensive, wide-ranging and multi-leveled.

The world today is undergoing major change and transformation. As two major forces in international relations, China and the EU share many common or similar views, and have wide common interests in dealing with common challenges to the world. To deepen bilateral relations as well as China-EU cooperation on global issues has a crucial importance for world peace, stability, development and prosperity. We are pleased to see that China and EU are conducting effective coordination and cooperation on more and more international issues, and have reinforced strategic consensus and political mutual trust. Our win-win cooperation has brought tremendous benefits to both sides. The EU has become China's largest trading partner, source of imports, export market and supplier of technology. China is the EU's second largest trading partner and fastest growing export market. Enormous potential exists for the two sides to enhance cooperation in investment, services, finance, science and technology, environmental protection, energy and other fields. Exchanges are increasingly active in culture, education, language fields and between political parties, think tanks, media, youth and associations. These exchanges, through multiple channels, exert profound influence and play positive role to enhance mutual understanding and friendship.

The Chinese government has always attached great importance to developing relations with the EU. Due to differences in history, culture, traditions, social systems, and the level of economic development, China-EU relations used to encounter some difficulties and twists and turns. However, we never lost confidence in its bright future. We believe strongly that after overcoming the difficulties and twists and turns, China-EU relations will be more stable and more mature. At present, the global financial crisis continues to exert its far-reaching impact on the world's economic, political and social fields. Global challenges such as climate change, energy and food security, infectious disease prevention, anti-terrorism and the fight against organized crime and others are the common concerns of both China and EU. In the course of meeting these challenges, China-EU relations face many new opportunities. It is common expectations and objective to continuously push forward China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership for the benefit of the Chinese and European people.

Dear young friends!

Goethe said, the spirit to make every extraordinary thing is always linked to youth and creativity. To answer the call of our times, China and the EU are working towards the future of their relationship from a strategic and long-term perspective. The future belongs to the young generation, and depends upon the young generation. Strengthening China-EU youth exchange, therefore carries far-reaching significance for China-EU relations in many aspects. First, as China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership further enriches, youth exchanges have become an important part of bilateral relations. Secondly, the youth of China and the EU are the source of their own progress, innovation as well as economic and social development. They inject vitality to the sustained development of China-EU relations. Thirdly, the friendly exchanges between the young people are conducive to enhancing mutual understanding between China and Europe, to spread good will and friendship, and to prevent stereotypes and prejudices. All this will lay a solid foundation for smooth and steady development of mutually beneficial cooperation. Fourthly, young people today will quickly grow into t pillars of society tomorrow. To strengthen youth exchanges, learn from each other, and seek common progress, is to make a strategic input into and prepare ourselves for the future of China-EU relations.

In recent years, with the deepening of China-EU relations, the youth of China and EU have growing interest in each other. Today, many European youth travel, study, visit or even work and live in China. More and more Chinese youth have come to Europe. Regular contacts between youth organizations of China and EU play an important role as the bridge to lead and to facilitate exchanges. The visit to Europe, headed by Vice President Lu Yongzheng of China's National Youth Administration, is exactly a new bridge. In the past few days, the delegation conducted fruitful exchange with the Council of Europe, the EU institutions, the European Youth Forum, and other youth organizations, think tanks, universities and the media. I am confident that more frequent exchanges between the youth will bear rich fruit, and bring the people of China and Europe close to each other, and play a harmonious musical chapter for the development of China-EU relations.

To plant the seed of friendship in the hearts of young people, and let it blossom and bear fruits is the common mission for all the people who take care of China-EU relations. The Chinese mission to the EU, in accordance with the direction set by leaders of China and EU, make its own efforts to promote and deepen youth exchange with open, inclusive and active participation, for more blossoms of the long-term friendship of China and EU.

Next, let us welcome Vice President of China's National Youth Federation, Mr. Lu Yongzheng, and President Radinja of the European Youth Forum to make speeches.