Video Remarks by H. E. Ambassador Cui Aimin
at the Celebration of the 73rd Anniversary of
theFounding of the People’s Republic of China
Dear compatriots,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Friends,
On the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, on behalf of the Chinese Embassy and Consulate in Sweden, I would like to extend my sincere festive greetings and best wishes to the Chinese community, employees of Chinese companies and Chinese students in Sweden. I would also like to extend my high respect and heartfelt appreciation to everyone from all sectors that cares about and supports China’s development and friendship between China and Sweden!
Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, over the past decades, under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, we have successfully carried out the socialist revolution and construction, promoted the reform and opening up and socialist modernization construction, created miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability which are rarely seen in the world, and embarked on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The Chinese nation has achieved the tremendous transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong.
In 2012, the Socialism with Chinese Characteristics entered the New Era. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, all areas of China’s endeavors have seen historic achievements and historic changes. China has realized the First Centenary Goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and is marching on a new journey to realize the Second Centenary Goal of fully building a modern socialist country. We have grounded our work in this new stage of development, applied the new development philosophy, fostered a new pattern of development, and promoted high-quality development. China’s economic strength and comprehensive national strength have reached a new level. We have consistently promoted broader and deeper reform across the board. The cause of the Party and the country now radiates with fresh vitality. We have adhered to the philosophy of people-centered development and brought about a historic resolution to the problem of absolute poverty in China. Chinese people are able to live and work in peace and contentment and social stability and order prevail. We have devoted greater efforts than ever before to ecological conservation. Significant progress has been made in building a Beautiful China. Our environmental protection endeavors have seen sweeping, historic, and transformative changes.
Over the past decade, we have advanced major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. We have resolutely safeguarded China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, overcome risks, challenges, and trials from different aspects. This has helped ensure that the Party and the country thrive and enjoy lasting stability. China is committed to a path of peaceful development, an independent foreign policy of peace and developing friendship and relations with all countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. China have upheld the international system with the UN at its core and international order based on international law. China has held high the banner of building a community with a shared future for mankind, unswervingly upheld and practiced true multilateralism, launched the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and advanced high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. China has demonstrated its responsibility to be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of the international order, a provider of public goods and a mediator of hotspot issues.
The year 2022 is an important year when China embarks on a new journey toward the Second Centenary Goal of fully building a modern socialist country. Despite challenges and difficulties including the COVID-19 pandemic, China has successfully held the Winter Olympics and Paralympics that earned worldwide recognition, and fulfilled the solemn commitment by the Chinese people to the international community. China is committed to containing the pandemic, stabilizing the economy and ensuring safe development and has effectively coordinated the COVID-19 prevention and control and the economic and social development, realizing the maximum prevention and control at the minimum cost and reducing the pandemic’s impact on the economic and social development to the minimum. The fundamentals of the Chinese economy, with its strong resilience and potential, wide room for manoeuvre and long-term improvement, remain unchanged. In the first half of this year, China’s GDP registered a positive growth of 2.5% and FDI over USD 100 billion, up by 17.4% compared to last year. China’s trade with Europe in the first half-year registered USD 420.6 billion, an increase of 8.4% on a year-on-year basis. The first China-Europe freight train route has conducted over 10,000 trips, making itself an anchor and accelerator for the trade between China and Europe.
The 20th National Congress of the CPC will be held on 16th October. It will be a significant event held at an important time as we embark on a new journey to fully build a modern socialist country. It will comprehensively review the great achievements made and valuable experience accumulated in upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. It will map out goals, tasks and policies for the next five years and the longer term for the country and the Party, drawing up a blueprint for China’s future development. It will surely inject strong impetus into fully building a modern socialist country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. China will surely embrace a brighter future. The Chinese people will surely embrace a better life.
The prosperity of China has always provided a strong momentum for the sound and steady development of China-Sweden relations. It will be more so in the future. Sweden was the first western country to establish diplomatic relations with China. In the 72 years of our diplomatic relations, with joint efforts by the two sides, China-Sweden relations have been moving forward steadily. The two sides have expanded exchanges and cooperation in economy, trade, science and technology, education, culture and other fields, bringing about a great deal of tangible benefits for the two countries and peoples. From January to July this year, bilateral trade has reached USD 12.56 billion, up by 6.2% compared to last year. Swedish companies invested USD 380 million in China, a year-on-year growth of 128.3%, exceeding that of the whole year of 2021. China and Sweden enjoy profound traditional friendship. We are both committed to multilateralism and free trade, and working towards green transformation and innovative development, which opens enormous opportunities of broader and deeper cooperation. As long as the two sides remain true to the original aspirations at the time of establishing our diplomatic relations, uphold mutual respect, equality and mutual benefits, we are confident that China-Sweden relations will yield more cooperation outcomes, and bring about more benefits for the two peoples.
To conclude, I’d like to give my best wishes of peace and prosperity to our great motherland and the Chinese people, best wishes of a long-lasting friendship to China and Sweden, and warmest wishes of health and happiness to you all!