September 30, 2024

Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure to get together with you to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. First, I wish to extend a very warm welcome to everyone here, and pay tribute to all friends who have long cared for and supported China and China-U.S. relations!

Over the past 75 years, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese people have forged ahead against all the odds, created a miracle that has amazed the world, and embarked on an epic journey toward Chinese modernization. Once an impoverished country where people struggled to meet basic living needs, China is now the world’s second largest economy, and has brought moderate prosperity to its people in all respects.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in particular, with President Xi Jinping at the helm, we have eliminated absolute poverty for the first time in our history of several thousand years, realized our first centenary goal, and achieved many “missions impossible”. Today, we are advancing confidently toward building China into a modern socialist country on all fronts.

The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee held in July rolled out systematic plans for further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization. It outlined a roadmap with over 300 important reform measures, and set the target of having all the tasks completed by 2029. This speaks volumes about our determination and confidence to follow through on our reform and opening up policy. In a turbulent world, China has shouldered its responsibility by focusing on reforming itself. This has set an example for the world, and also brought much-needed stability, development and opportunities.

A China committed to open development will continue to be a major engine for global economic growth. China has contributed over 30% to global growth for over a decade in a row. Today, it is the world’s largest exporter, and also the second largest importer. Goods valued 7 billion US dollars flow into China on a daily basis, and more than 4,600 foreign-invested companies are set up in China every month.

We believe openness brings progress, while isolation leaves one behind. Therefore, we have kept our door wide open. Our overall tariff rate has been cut to 7.3%, lower than our WTO accession commitment. We have shortened the negative list for foreign investment from 93 to 29 items, and lifted all foreign investment restrictions in the manufacturing sector. We will also gradually open up wider areas like telecom, the internet, education, culture and medical services. In the next five years, China’s total trade in goods and services is expected to exceed 32 trillion and 5 trillion US dollars respectively. With our development, we will keep providing the world with new opportunities.

A China committed to innovation-driven development will continue to be a boost to global technological advances. Back in 1949, China could not even make a single match or iron nail. Today, it is the world’s second largest R&D investor, and the top source of international patent applications. With a vast market, a full-fledged industrial system and a rich talent pool, China’s ecosystem for innovation is simply irreplaceable. New forms and models of business are burgeoning. International companies like Volkswagen, Siemens and GE HealthCare have all set up their biggest overseas R&D centers in China. Investing in China is investing in opportunities, and the next China is still China.

Right now, Chinese-built photovoltaic power plants are lighting up the night sky across the African continent, China’s high-speed railways are connecting mountains and rivers, and China’s space station is greeting scientists from around the world with open arms. All these outcomes of innovation have benefited not only China but also the world. We are shifting to new drivers of growth at a faster pace, fostering new quality productive forces in line with local conditions, and making industries smarter, greener and more innovative. All these will not only open up broader room for our high-quality development, but also inject new impetus into global economic recovery.

A China committed to green development will continue to be a doer in global climate governance. The sky in our country is now bluer, the mountains greener, and the waters clearer. China is the first country to achieve zero growth in land degradation, and has seen the fastest improvement in air quality globally. It has contributed half of the world’s newly installed renewable capacity, and a quarter of the global new forest area. We will not only move from carbon peaking to carbon neutrality in the shortest-ever time span in world history, but also support our fellow developing countries under the framework of South-South cooperation on climate change.

What the world needs is green transition, not green barriers; green economy, not green protectionism. China’s development of green infrastructure, green energy and green transportation will create investment and consumption markets with an estimated size of 10 trillion yuan annually, a big contribution to global climate response.

A China committed to peaceful development will continue to be an anchor of stability in a volatile world. China has never started a war over the past 75 years, and is the only country among the five nuclear-power states that is committed to no-first-use of nuclear weapons. Having joined almost all the intergovernmental international organizations and over 500 international instruments, China is a founder, beneficiary and guardian of the existing international order.

On the Palestinian-Israeli issue, we have stood for justice, and brought 14 Palestinian factions together for reconciliation dialogue.

On the Ukraine crisis, we have promoted talks for peace, provided no lethal weapon to either party of the conflict, exerted strict control on dual-use items, conducted four rounds of shuttle diplomacy, and put forward a six-point consensus, which has been warmly welcomed by more than 110 countries.

Recently, we successfully held the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Beijing. We will continue to be a staunch force for the shared prosperity of the Global South, and contribute to global modernization with Chinese modernization.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This year also marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic relations. Today, the relationship is again at a new starting point. History surges onward like a mighty river, but it is the choices made at critical junctures that shape the course. The key is that we should follow the trend of the times, draw inspirations and lessons from the past, and advance China-U.S. relations along the right track. President Xi Jinping has laid out three principles for the relationship: mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. This is based on a profound reflection of all the twists and turns in the relationship, and also represents the right way for major countries to get along in the new era.

Mutual respect means we need to be partners, not rivals. Respect is the basis for understanding, which then leads to trust. In state-to-state relations, the number one and overarching question is: are we rivals, or partners? This is just like the first button of a shirt that must be put right. It is heartening that rational voices have been on the rise in the United States recently. More and more Americans with vision have come to realize that defining China as a rival would result in a spiral of enmity and confrontation. They have also cautioned against allowing the China of some people’s nightmares to replace the China of the real world.

After 5,000 years of ups and downs, China is still here, and will continue to be. We have no strategy to overtake or displace the United States, no intention to overthrow the existing order or dominate the world, and no interest in geopolitical rivalry or a “game of thrones”. It would be a strategic miscalculation to project onto China the assumption that a strong country is bound to seek hegemony, and fearmongering to accuse China of being “a pacing threat”. Claims that emerging and existing powers are destined for confrontation are irresponsible. China’s success does not have to mean a failure of the United States. Our two countries can well scale heights along our own paths, and enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the vast Pacific side by side.

Peaceful coexistence means we need to hold on to the baselines and avoid backpedalling. History has taught us that peace is most valuable, and we need to fight for and cherish it together. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and nuclear-weapon states, China and the United States should not only make every effort to coexist in harmony, but also jointly shoulder our responsibility for world peace.

The Taiwan question is the first and foremost red line in the China-U.S. relationship. Trying to contain China with Taiwan would be like walking along a tightrope over an abyss, and condoning “Taiwan independence” would only invite disaster to oneself. The one-China principle is the anchor of cross-Strait peace, and the three Sino-U.S. Joint Communiques are the most effective guardrail for preventing the situation from getting out of control.

The Chinese people should not be deprived of their right to develop the economy and pursue a better life. Trade war or tech war would be a double-edged sword. Building “small yard, high fence” would only constrain one’s own space and serve nobody’s interest.

U.S. elections are its own affairs. China has never and will never interfere. At the same time, we firmly oppose attempts to play the “China card”, play up China issues and exploit China-U.S. relations for electoral advantages.

As a Chinese saying goes, doing good is as hard as an uphill climb, while a misstep may easily lead to a free fall. The mansion of China-U.S. relations has been built by generations of people brick by brick. We need to bolster it, not dismantle it.

Win-win cooperation means we need to seek mutual benefit and reject a zero-sum game. As the largest developing and developed countries, China and the United States are highly complementary. In fact, the history of China-U.S. relations is exactly one of us drawing on each other’s strength and achieving win-win outcomes. China is now the third largest export market for American goods, and the United States is China’s third largest trading partner. A new car is built at the Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai in less than one minute. Starbucks is opening a new store in China every nine hours. Exports to China alone have supported 930,000 jobs in the United States.

Over the past year, we have conducted fruitful cooperation in areas including people-to-people exchanges, counternarcotics and climate change. China’s initiative of inviting 50,000 young Americans on exchange or study programs has been widely welcomed by the youth, and over 10,000 American teenagers have been invited so far. Giant pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao have made their home at the San Diego Zoo, while Bao Li and Qing Bao are coming to D.C. soon. When it comes to such stories of friendship and cooperation, the more, the better.

It is only natural that we will have competition between us. But it should be a fair race to the top, not a zero-sum race to the bottom. Also, competition is not the whole story about China-U.S. relations. While engaging in healthy competition, we also need to prioritize cooperation. China sees no ceiling for mutually beneficial cooperation, which can produce a multiplying effect.

Ladies and gentlemen,

During the extraordinary journey over the past 75 years, China has delivered a better life for its people, and also made historical contribution to human progress. Having braved wind and rain over the past 45 years, the China-U.S. relationship has enhanced the wellbeing of both peoples, and also promoted world peace and prosperity. While the China-U.S. relationship cannot go back to the past, it can and should embrace a brighter future.

“No mountain is higher than a climber, and no road is longer than a marcher.” Forty-five years ago, our two peoples reached out to each other, thus breaking the ice of the Cold War and enabling China-U.S. relations to set sail. Today, we have even more reason to take actions, to ensure the relationship will break waves and navigate steadily forward.

Now, I would like to propose a toast,

To the continued prosperity of the People’s Republic of China,

To the evergreen friendship between the peoples of China and the United States,

To the stable development of China-U.S. relations,

To the health and happiness of all friends here and your loved ones,

Cheers!

Thank you.