Mme. Chairman, distinguished delegates,

　　Ladies and Gentlemen,

　　First of all, please allow me to extend our congratulations to the First Meeting of the Global Forum on Migration and Development. The Forum provides important platform for the international community to carry out dialogues on the issues of migration and development. I believe that with the capable leadership of Mme. Chair and cooperative spirits of all the delegates, this meeting will become a full success.

　　Mme. Chairman,

　　The developing history of humankind is a history of migration. For thousands of years, migrants have been making tremendous contributions for the cultural exchange, economic development and social progress of countries. With the further development of globalization, exchanges and cooperation have been deepening among countries in the areas of politics, economy, trade and culture, migrant flow have been more and more frequent, and the global amount of migrants have increased significantly. At the same time, a number of problems emerge, such as illegal migration and related transnational organized crime, racial discrimination and violation of migrants’ legitimate rights, and brain drain of countries of origin etc.Under that circumstance, it is of great realistic value to make thorough research on migration and development and other related issues.

　　Here the Delegation of China would like to raise three points:

　　Firstly, regular and orderly migration flow shall be promoted. Countries need to look on migration from a more open, friendly, fair and positive perspective, especially on the relationship between a few irregular migrants and those regular migrants, and migration policies need to be improved accordingly. Regular migrants should not become the victim of illegal migration. Countries shall, from the principle of “widening the regular channels and blocking the illegal ones”, make efforts to facilitate regular, orderly migration while limiting irregular migration to the minimum, and encourage regular migrants to make contribution to economic development of countries of both destination and origin so as to reach a win-win objective.

　　Secondly, the legitimate rights of migrants shall be protected. Migrants have special needs as to education, health, social security, cultural convention and religions etc. It is necessary for countries of destination to strengthen coordination with countries of origin to adopt effective measures to protect migrants’ rights, helping them integrate with local community better and faster, in order that different groups coexist with harmony and migrants contribute more to economic development.

　　Thirdly, international community shall enhance cooperation and dialogue. Developing countries are faced with real difficulties in migration management and participation in international cooperation. Developed countries and related international and regional organizations are in place to provide necessary fund and technical assistance, helping them to strengthen capacity building. Meanwhile, to find solution to the problem of brain drain, countries of destination and origin shall further their cooperation. When countries of destination develope policies of attracting migrants with professional competence, reasonable concerns should be taken into account.

　　Mme. Chairman,

　　The Government of China attaches high importance to migration issues and the opportunities and challenges it brings. According to recent situation, the Chinese Government has made efforts to adjust its border management policies, raised efficiency to facilitate regular population flow. At the same time, we firmly oppose and resolutely combat illegal migration. We have formulated and improved relevant laws and regulations, intensified law enforcement, and reinforced public education. We have also incorporated into our national development plan such elements as award foundation, tax reduction and exemption, and simplified entry/exit procedures to encourage Chinese students abroard to come back to work and reduce the “brain drain”. The Chinese Government actively participates in the international and regional migration cooperation, exchange experiences with relevant countries and international organizations on the basis of mutual respect and equal consultations. We are ready to continue to work with others to further promote the normal flow of population ant the global level.

　　Thank you for your attention.