On September 22, 2021, Consul General Wang Donghua delivered an online speech to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and Mid-Autumn Festival. The full text is as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
Hello everyone!
I am very pleased to have you with us for the celebration of the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. First of all, on behalf of the Consulate General of China in San Francisco, I would like to convey festive greetings to all of you and your families and extend heartfelt thanks to the people from all walks of life who have long been committed to China-US friendship.
This year marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Over the past 100 years, the CPC has remained true to its founding mission to pursue happiness for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and delivered an excellent answer to the history and the people. The CPC united and led the Chinese people in winning national independence and liberation and founding the People's Republic of China in 1949 through arduous and tenacious struggles, putting an end to the time of misery and humiliation imposed on the Chinese nation by bullying powers. Ever since then, the new China, under the leadership of the CPC, has grown from a poor and weak country to the second largest economy, achieving a historic leap from standing up to becoming prosperous and growing strong. Since the founding of the new China, the CPC has united and led the Chinese people in achieving one miracle after another rarely seen in the human history.
The first miracle is fast economic development. Over more than 70 years, China has completed the process of industrialization that took western developed countries hundreds of years to do. China has established the most comprehensive modern industrial system in the world. It is the world's second largest economy, the largest industrial country, the largest trader of goods, the largest holder of foreign exchange reserves and the largest recipient of foreign investment. Recent years have witnessed China's annual contribution of around 30% to the world economic growth. China's development has become an important engine for global growth and generated more opportunities for all countries. Last year, China was the only major economy to achieve positive economic growth, demonstrating the remarkable strength of China's system and the full vitality of its development. In the first half of 2021, China's GDP reached 53.2 trillion yuan, up 12.7% year on year, making a significant contribution to the recovery of the global economy in the post-pandemic era.
The second miracle is long-term social stability. Despite multiple severe tests and challenges brought about by the formidable and complex task of development and reform as well as the economic and social changes, China has succeeded in maintaining long-term political and social stability while achieving rapid economic growth. The middle-income population in China has increased to over 400 million, and as many as 800 million people have been lifted out of poverty. China has established the world's largest social security network covering elderly care, medical care, subsistence allowances and housing. By 2021, China has completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and eliminated absolute poverty, writing a splendid chapter in the annals of human development. Now China is stepping up its efforts to promote social equity and justice to ensure the fruits of development can be more fairly shared by all the people and more tangible progress can be made in promoting common prosperity for all.
The third miracle is peaceful development. Having experienced national crisis and hardship, the Chinese people are keenly aware of the value of peace and development. China has never started a war against, or occupied an inch of territories of, other countries. China is the only country in the world that incorporates peaceful development into its Constitution. The 19th National Congress of the CPC adopted a resolution that includes its goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind in the Party Constitution, and that articulates its commitment to achieving win-win cooperation and common prosperity by working together with all countries in the world. Meanwhile, the development of China has blazed a new trail for other developing countries to achieve modernization. It offers a new option for other countries which aspire to speed up their development while preserving their independence.
Looking back, we are extremely proud of the great path we have blazed, the great cause we have undertaken, and the great achievements we have made. Looking ahead, we have full confidence in the leadership of the CPC, in the socialism with Chinese characteristics and in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. On the journey ahead, we will continue to comprehensively deepen reform, open our door wider to the outside world. Proceeding from the new stage of development and guided by the new development philosophy, we will strive to foster a new development paradigm, and to achieve high-quality development. China will continue to hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, and adhere to the path of peaceful development. China will continue to develop friendly cooperation with other countries on the basis of the five principles of peaceful coexistence and work together to build a global community with a shared future. China's development and progress will continue to benefit the Chinese people and bring new opportunities to the rest of the world.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
Early last year, in the face of the sudden outbreak of COVID-19, the Chinese government put protecting the people and human life above everything else, took forceful measures to quickly control the spread of the virus and took the lead in resuming work and production. At the same time, China has actively promoted international cooperation in the fight against COVID-19, made its share of contribution as a major and responsible country. By July 2021, China had provided over 800 million doses of vaccines to more than 100 countries and international organizations through aid, export, joint production and other forms, benefiting hundreds of millions of people around the world. China will provide additional 3 billion dollars in international aid over the next three years to support COVID-19 response and economic and social recovery in other developing countries.
The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us again that mankind is a community with a shared future. No country can deal with the global problems and challenges entirely on its own. Solidarity and cooperation is the only right choice for us. At present, the pandemic is still raging with more virus variants. The worldwide response to COVID-19 remains complex and arduous. China stands ready to work with other countries to bring confidence, hope and cooperation to the international community and jointly create a better and healthier future for mankind.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
Fifty years ago, Dr. Kissinger's secret visit to China opened the door to the normalization of relations between China and the US. Over the past half century, China-US relations have gone through ups and downs. In 2020, despite multiple challenges, China-US trade in goods grew by over 8% to over 580 billion US dollars. In the first half of this year, the bilateral trade in goods grew by 34.6% to 340 billion US dollar. There are now about 70,000 US companies operating in China, with annual sales revenue exceeding 500 billion US dollars. Statistics show that US exports to China support 2.6 million jobs in the US. Facts fully prove that China and the US share extensive common interests, and the two countries have become a community of shared interests. However, some US politicians still turn a blind eye to the fact of win-win cooperation between China and the US, holding fast to their wrong perception and miscalculation of China's development. They have claimed that the era of engagement and cooperation between China and the US is over. They attempt to redefine China-US relations with competition and confrontation, and view China as a strategic rival or even an enemy. Consequently, a series of policies to suppress and contain China have been adopted, which has severely undermined the China-US relations and the interests of the two peoples, as well as world peace and development.
China-US relations have come to a new historic juncture, facing both opportunities and challenges. As President Xi Jinping said in his recent phone call with President Biden, China and the United States are respectively the biggest developing country and the biggest developed country. Whether they can handle their relationship well has a bearing on the future and destiny of the world, and this is a question of the century to which the two countries must provide a good answer. The two countries and the world will benefit from China-US cooperation, and suffer from their confrontation. Getting the relationship right is not optional, but something we must do and must do well. China and the US need to face up to the reality, follow the trend of the times, return to rationality, steer China-US relations in the right direction, in a manner responsible to history, to the two peoples and to the world, and find a way of peaceful coexistence between two major countries with different political systems, cultures and development stages.
First, it is important to enhance mutual understanding and respect. China has no intention to challenge or replace the US, but sincere wish to work with the US for peaceful coexistence and common development. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China has all along respected the choices made by the American people, welcomed the good momentum of growth in the US, and never interfered in its internal affairs. Likewise, the US should respect China's core interests, national dignity, and rights to development.
President Xi Jinping once said, whether the shoe fits or not, the wearer knows better. What has happened shows that the socialist path with Chinese characteristics is best suited China's conditions and most conductive to its development. By following this path, China has not only succeeded in lifting 1.4 billion Chinese people out of poverty and backwardness, but also made continuous and significant contribution to human progress. The US should not seek to change, suppress, or even defeat China just because China pursues a different system from the West. A world of peace should nurture diverse civilizations. An international order of stability should accommodate different systems. And a major country with confidence should be inclusive to diverse values. China's success does not mean the failure of the US, and vice versa. The world is big enough to accommodate a more successful China and a more successful America.
Second, it is important to expand dialogues and manage differences. Given the differences between our two countries in social system, development stage, history and culture, it is natural for us to have disagreements. What is crucial is to enhance mutual understanding through dialogue and prevent our relations from being defined by disagreements. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 42 years ago, China and the US have transcended differences and made much headway in advancing their relations, thanks to the consistent engagements and candid dialogues undertaken between personages from all walks of life in our two countries. The past few years have seen a hindrance to the bilateral dialogues in all areas, at all levels and to various degrees, which constitutes one of the main reasons for the deterioration of China-US relations.
During the phone conversation, both Presidents agreed to maintain frequent contact by multiple means, and instructed officials at the working level to intensify their work and conduct extensive dialogues to create conditions for the further development of China-US relations. At present, mindful of the fundamental interests of the two peoples, both sides should follow through on the consensus reached by the two Presidents, and reactivate or establish dialogue mechanisms in various areas and at various levels as soon as possible. The two sides should endeavor, through dialogues, to get a clear understanding of each other's policy intentions, sort out the cruxes of their relations, and find ways to manage differences, defuse risks and remove obstacles. China stands ready to have candid communication and dialogues with the US side in a a bid to address the concerns of both sides.
Third, it is important to enhance and focus on cooperation. The history and practice since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US have repeatedly proved that both China and the US will benefit from cooperation and suffer from confrontation. Cooperation is the only right option, and confrontation will bring disaster to both and beyond. At a time when the world is undergoing momentous changes of a scale unseen in a century with global challenges emerging one after another, there are more areas and extended space for China-US cooperation. By working together, China and the US can make more big things happen in favor of our two countries and the world at large. On the basis of respecting each other's core concerns and managing differences, China and the US can advance coordination and cooperation on such issues as climate change, epidemic prevention and control, global economic recovery, and major international and regional issues. In the meantime, no efforts should be spared to further explore potential for bilateral cooperation, thus injecting positive energy to bilateral relations. With respect to climate change, China continues to prioritize ecological conservation and pursues a green and low-carbon path to development. It has taken the initiative to shoulder international responsibilities befitting China's national conditions. China, as always, attaches great importance to enhancing communication and cooperation with the US across the board. The US should correct its wrong China policy and practices undermining China's interests as soon as possible, so as to clear the obstacles to further cooperation between our two countries.
As President Xi Jinping noted during his phone call with President Biden, with the international community facing many common challenges, China and the US need to show a broad vision and a great sense of responsibilities, keep looking ahead and moving forward, demonstrate strategic courage and political resolve, and bring China-US relations back to the right track of stable development as soon as possible to better benefit the people in both countries and around the world. A famous ancient Chinese poem goes, "Mountains and rivers may block the way, yet another village will appear amidst blooming flowers and willow trees." We believe that, under the able guidance of our two Presidents and with the joint efforts of our two peoples, China-US relationship will overcome the difficulties blocking its way and enjoy a bright future.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
The responsibility of the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco covers North California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Alaska. Those states have played an important and unique role in promoting the China-US relations. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the US, China and those state have maintained close contacts and conducted practical cooperation in extensive areas including economy, trade, tourism, culture, and education, which has brought tangible benefits to both sides. During the fight against COVID-19, the Chinese people and the people in our consular district have supported each other and helped each other with a large amount of donations of medical supplies. Despite the downward trend of China-US relations and the ravage of the pandemic across the world, the states and cities in our consular district have maintained friendly exchanges and practical cooperation with their counterparts in China. It has fully demonstrated that the friendship between China and the US enjoys a solid public support ,and that strengthening cooperation is the common need of both sides. China is the most promising market in the world. There is huge potential for China-US cooperation. The Chinese Consulate General will continue to work with all sides in our consular district to further enhance mutual understanding, exchanges and cooperation between China and the US to the greater benefit of our two peoples.
To conclude, I wish to express sincere gratitude again to our friends from all sectors of society in our consular district for their contributions to promoting China-US friendship and cooperation and for their unreserved support for the work of the Consulate. I will continue to work with all our friends to contribute a deepening China-US friendship and bringing China-US relationship to the track of sound and stable development.
May China enjoy continued prosperity.
May the Chinese people a happier life.
May China-US relation have a better future.
May all of you and your family enjoy health, happiness and prosperity! Happy Chinese National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival!
Thank you!