Respected Vice-Chairman Han Qide,
Respected Vice-Chairwoman He Luli,
Respected IPRA President Robert Grupp,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, please allow me to extend, on behalf of the Foreign Ministry of the People’s Republic of China, warm congratulations on the opening of the 18th IPRA World Congress and a warm welcome to you all!

It is right to say that the IPRA World Congress is the “Olympic Games” in the field of international public relations. For 50 years, public relations professionals from around the world have gathered at this platform for in-depth discussions on PR theories, application and practice, and have played an important role in promoting international public relations and enhancing mutual understanding among the peoples and countries.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The 29th Olympic Games and the 16th Paralympic Games held not long ago in Beijing were a huge success. They are not only great sporting events, but also grand gatherings for mutual learning, communication and harmonious coexistence among different cultures, races and beliefs. They have showcased to the world the charm of the traditional Chinese culture and China’s achievements in reform and opening-up, and enabled the world to know more about a peaceful, open, tolerant and developing modern China.

Thirty years ago, the Chinese people embarked on the historic journey of reform and opening-up, starting a great revolution under the new historical circumstances. Over the past 30 years, China has realized the historic transition from a planned economy to a vibrant socialist market economy and from a closed or semi-closed society to one that is open to the outside world in all aspects. Historic changes have taken place in this country. China’s economy, once on the verge of collapse, has jumped to the fourth place in the world in aggregate terms. Its total import and export ranks third in the world. The Chinese people, who used to lack food, clothing and other basic necessities, now generally enjoy moderate prosperity. The number of rural population living in poverty has been reduced from 250 million to over 10 million. Remarkable progress has also been made in promoting political, cultural and social development. What has happened has proven that reform and opening-up is the only way to develop socialism with Chinese characteristics and revitalize the Chinese nation. But we are keenly aware that China is still a developing country with a per capita income ranking below the 100th place in the world. China’s productivity remains underdeveloped. This is a fact that has not been changed in the final analysis. The socialist market economy is yet to be improved, and China still faces strains in resources, energy and the environment in its development. There is a long way to go before China can modernize itself. We will continue to dedicate ourselves to development and focus our attention on promoting economic growth.

China strives to develop itself by maintaining world peace, and contributes to world peace with its own development. We unswervingly pursue the independent foreign policy of peace, respect the rights of people of other countries to choose their path of development independently, do not interfere in others’ internal affairs, or impose our will on others. We develop friendly ties with all other countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and do not draw lines according to ideology or social system. We dedicate ourselves to peaceful settlement of international disputes and international arms control and disarmament, and actively participate in international peacekeeping missions. We are the largest contributor of peacekeeping forces among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. We are committed to advancing democracy in international relations, promoting balanced and win-win progress of economic globalization to the benefit of all, encouraging exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, preserving the Earth, the only place we can call home, and working for a more fair and equitable international order.

Historic changes have taken place in China’s relations with the rest of the world in the past 30 years. We have become an integral whole with a common destiny. China cannot develop itself in isolation from the world, and the world cannot achieve prosperity and stability without China. In the years ahead, we will share development opportunities and tackle challenges together with people of other countries.

Recently, the worsening international financial crisis has caused grave impact on world economic development. No single country can stand unaffected. Such a global challenge demands strengthened coordination and cooperation among countries. China will continue to work with the rest of the international community in a responsible manner to weather the crisis. China has the resolve and the ability to maintain steady and relatively fast economic growth at home, which is the biggest contribution China makes to the world economy.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As the ancient Chinese saying goes, “Amity between people holds the key to sound relations between states”. Harmony is built on the basis of mutual understanding and cooperation between people. Public relations, as a modern science of management, serves as a lubricant for the development of governments, businesses and communities, and has played a unique and positive role in promoting communication between the governments and the public and enhancing mutual understanding among countries and ethnic groups.

The Chinese Government always attaches importance to developing public relations. Since the introduction of the policy of reform and opening-up, the PR sector has grown rapidly in China, with many government agencies and more and more enterprises setting up PR departments. Many PR organizations play an active part in various provinces and cities. The PR sector in China is playing an increasingly important role in crisis management for emergency, fostering brands, increasing corporate influence and competitiveness and defusing international economic and trade disputes. As China’s market economy grows along with overall social progress, a lot more can be done and accomplished in the PR sector in China.

The theme of the Congress, “Public Relations – Build a Harmonious Society in Globalized Era” is highly relevant. I am confident that your discussions and practice under this theme will put PR in a better position to contribute its share to building a harmonious world in a globalized era.

To conclude, I wish this Congress a complete success!