Remarks by Amb Tan Jian at the Reception Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China
2019-10-03 16:46

Remarks by Amb Tan Jian at the Reception

Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China

(27 September, 2019, Addis Ababa)

Your Excellency Ms. Keria Ibrahim Alli, Speaker of the House of Federation,

Mr. Tordeta Ratebaye, Deputy Chief of Staff, Representative of AUC,

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Dear Friends,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening!

Bonsoir!

晚上好!

Endate /A ma sha qiu. In kuan Da na/ me da qiu.

What a pleasure to get together with you this evening, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia and the Chinese Mission to the African Union, please accept my sincere thanks and warmest welcome to all of you.

This is indeed a time for celebration.

Since its founding, a sea change has taken place in China.

Here are some highlights:

First, China has achieved historic achievement in poverty reduction.  

Over the past 70 year, from 1949 to 2018, China's per capita gross national income increased from only dozens of dollars to nearly 10,000 dollars.  

Today, every household in China has access to electricity.

Over the past 40 year, from 1978 to 2018, more than 700 million Chinese were lifted out of poverty, an accomplishment unprecedented, unmatched in any historical period or any region.

Still, there are 16.6 million Chinese living in poverty by the end of 2018. We are working hard towards zero poverty among rural population by the year 2020. With this box ticked, China will eliminate extreme poverty for the first time in its 5000-year history, a milestone for this nation and this world.

Second, China has achieved spectacular economic growth.

China's GDP has increased by more than 450 times, from 30 billion dollars in the early 1950s to more than 13.6 trillion dollars in 2018, the second largest economy in the world.

Its trade has increased from 1.1 billion dollars in the year 1950 to 4.6 trillion dollars in the year 2018.

China, once an impoverished agricultural country, has become the world's largest trader of goods and largest destination of FDI, with the largest industrial output, the largest currency reserve.

Moreover, China has also made world-leading progress in manned spaceflights, lunar exploration program, 5G, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, e-commerce and mobile payment, to name a few.

Third, China has achieved remarkable social development.

The average life expectancy has gone up from 35 years young to 77 years old in the last 70 years.

Basic public services have been improved markedly, and access to them has become much more convenient and equitable.

The whole population is now basically covered by medical insurance.

Free compulsory education is now available in all urban and rural areas.

In 2018, 150 million outbound visits were made by Chinese travelers. I hope more could come to visit Africa.

Fourth, China has also long embarked on the sustainability journey, advancing its ecological civilization.

We believe clear waters and green mountains can bring us prosperity and wealth, more than gold and silver.

We are striving to foster a sound interaction between economic growth, social progress and environmental protection. We see environmental protection as a precondition and opportunity for economic development.

The forest coverage, only 8.6% in the year 1949, has increased to almost 22% in the year 2018. China has the largest man- and woman-planted forest area. Since the start of this century, one quarter of the newly added plantation in the world has come from China.

Between 2005 and 2018, CO2 emission per unit in China has decreased by 45.8%, making great contribution to the global fight against climate change.

China regards ecological progress as being no less important than economic growth, and is mobilizing the entire country behind this endeavor.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The past seven decades has been extraordinary in the history of the Chinese nation.

Nothing short of a miracle.

Many friends ask: why and how. Well, it is not our policy to export development model, although we do export a lot of goods. Yet I am happy to share with you what are the major contributors.

One is the hard work, intelligence and diligence of the Chinese people.

Two is the reform and opening up policy, integration into and cooperation with the whole world. China cannot develop itself in isolation from the world, also the world needs China for global prosperity.

Three is the development path -- building socialism with Chinese characteristics, which suits our own national conditions. We all agree that there is no one-size-fits-all formula. This is really a diverse and colorful world.

I think I look more handsome tonight in my national dress. Thank you.

Dear friends,

China is a contributor to global development.

China has contributed more than 30% annually to global economic growth since the outbreak of the financial crisis in the year 2008.  

In 2018, in spite of the sluggish international recovery, China-Africa trade amounted to 200 billion dollars, 30% of the infrastructure projects in Africa are built and financed by China. So far, China has sent medical teams with the total number of 20,000 doctors to 50 African countries.

Standing in solidarity with other developing countries, we are joining hands to implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and taking concrete actions to promote South-South cooperation.

China is an upholder of the international order.

China firmly supports international cooperation, be it North-South, South-South, or tripartite cooperation.

We are for globalization, against unilateralism or protectionism. Our Belt and Road Initiative itself is a platform for international cooperation.

With China's fast development, its international responsibility and obligation has been on the steady and rapid rise.

Over the past 20 years, China's contribution to the UN regular budget increased by 20 fold, from 0.72% in the year 1995, to over 12% in the year 2018, ranking the second largest.  

And we also make contribution to UN extra budget.

China is a force for world peace and stability.

China does not seek hegemony. And China opposes any attempt by anyone to do so.

We do not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, nor do we allow others to interfere in ours.

China is the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping budget, accounting for 15.2% of the total.

Since 1990, China has sent close to 40,000 military personnel on peacekeeping missions. Thirteen brave Chinese peacekeepers gave their life to this lofty cause. This is an important contribution of China to peaceful settlement of disputes and to regional security and stability.

Excellencies,

China-Ethiopia cooperation and China-African Union relations have each made major strides in the past decades.

China-Ethiopia ties was elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership in the year 2017.

Indeed, China is a reliable partner to Ethiopia. The past year and more have witnessed high-level exchange of visits. Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed has already made two trips to China since taking office.

China is Ethiopia's largest source of foreign direct investment; largest trading partner.

Not only is China doing hard infrastructure projects in Ethiopia like rail and road; but also assisting in the soft ones like poverty alleviation, human resources development, health care, etc.

We will provide grant to finance part of the "Beautifying Sheger" project.

Next year, 2020, will mark the 50th anniversary of the setting up of our diplomatic relations.

We will deepen and widen our cooperation with Ethiopia, and help overcome the current difficulty.

We are confident about Ethiopia's development prospect.

China-AU relations today are in the its best shape, with close ties at all levels and various cooperation projects being implemented.

Early this year, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited the headquarter of AU, and he met with Chairperson of AU Commission Moussa Faki again just a few days ago during UN General Assembly, pointing out the direction of China-Africa cooperation.

China supports the African Union to play its leading and coordinating role in peace and security affairs. China has actively implemented the military assistance measures announced by President Xi Jinping and supported the building of the African Standby Force and the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis.

In advancing the Belt and Road Initiative, China has been working closely with the AU to align our initiative with the AU Agenda 2063, seeking synergy.  

China supports African Continental Free Trade Area, which could be a game-changer for African development.

The construction of Africa CDC's headquarters started in June this year.

We will work even more closely to create a stronger strategic partnership between China and the AU.

Ladies and gentlemen,

While celebrating our achievements, we are sober-minded.

According to a recent UN report, China ranks 86th among countries in the world in the human development index. China's industry remains at the medium to low end of the global value chain.

We know clearly that there is a long way to go to narrow the gap with the rich.

There will be even more severe challenges ahead.

Like recently Hong Kong is experiencing the most severe situation since its return to China in 1997. I wish to stress that since the handover, "One Country, Two Systems" has achieved remarkable success in Hong Kong, which is widely recognized by the international community. The Hong Kong people now enjoy unprecedented freedom and rights. Those forces, inside and outside of Hong Kong, attempting to destabilize Hong Kong and even to split the country, are doomed to failure. Hong Kong is now part of China. We have the confidence and determination to safeguard national sovereignty and solidarity and uphold "One Country, Two Systems".

We are confident that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people, braving the challenges, will write a more splendid chapter for the new era.

We will continue to benefit from and contribute more to international cooperation, advancing the high-quality BRI.

China will never close its door to the world, and it will only become more and more open.

A stable, open and prosperous China will definitely bring more opportunities to other countries and contribute to global peace and development.

Now, may I invite you to join me in a toast:

To the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China,

To the long-lasting friendship between China and Ethiopia,

To the better future of China-Africa relations,

To the strengthening of international cooperation,

To the health of everyone present here.

Cheers!