The 63rd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China was marked on Monday. Sixty-three years ago China was a poor and weak country badly in need of reconstruction. The founding fathers of the People’s Republic laid down a vision for the country’s future. The message was this: let us work hard to create our own civilisation, build a happy life and contribute to world peace and freedom. And this ambition has become a reality.
There is so much more that China and Malta can do together- Cai Jinbiao
China has now become the world’s second largest economy and trading nation. China today is a stable and harmonious society. Democracy and the rule of law have been further strengthened. Fairness and justice are the shared pursuit of the Government and the people.
While we are proud of our past achievements, we are soberly aware of the fact that China is still a developing country facing numerous challenges, including the imbalanced and unsustainable development pattern, increasing constraints in resources and the environment.
After sustaining an average 11 per cent annual growth in the past decades, the Chinese economy has met with a number of challenges since last year with the GDP growth slowing down to 7.8 per cent for the first half of 2012. Some people worry that China may head towards a hard landing. Nevertheless, China still manages to deliver some good results.
It is to be recognised that the economic slowdown had been both the result and the reason behind the Chinese Government’s drive for a greener and more sustainable economy. China is gaining speed in shifting to a slower economy with a higher quality of living to benefit all our people.
During the 12th five-year-plan, China will grow to be one of the largest markets in the world, with the total imports reaching $10 trillion and the direct outbound investment exceeding $500 billion.
The world will continue to benefit from China’s growth, which will become healthier, more balanced and sustainable.
In international affairs, China follows firmly the path of peaceful development and adheres to an independent foreign policy of peace. On hotspot issues like Syria and Iran, China plays a responsible and constructive role by calling for a solution through dialogue and consultation.
Recently, readers may have seen many news reports about the dispute between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Island. The Diaoyu Island and its adjacent islets have been an inherent part of Chinese territory since ancient times.
It is an objective fact that there exist sovereign disputes between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Island and China has always maintained that a solution should be sought through diplomatic negotiations on the basis of respecting facts. However, the Japanese Government recently insisted on illegally “purchasing” the Diaoyu Island, which grossly violates China’s territorial sovereignty and offends the Chinese people.
The Japanese side should bear responsibility for all the consequences. The Chinese Government has an unbreakable will and resolve in defending national territorial sovereignty.
This year also carries special meaning as it marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malta and China. Over the last four decades, China and Malta have jointly built a close partnership and friendship that is moving from strength to strength and the highlights of our bilateral exchanges this year continue to prove that.
The China-Malta relationship has, of course, flourished beyond high-level visits. Bilateral trade continues to show robust growth despite ongoing difficulties in the world economy. During my talks with representatives from the local business community, I sensed a growing urge to do business with China. In fact, the current crisis also opened up many new spheres for possible cooperation such as renewable energy and electric cars.
Besides, the two ministries of education are working on an agreement on mutual recognition of University degrees and the talks are entering final discussions. Contacts and exchanges are also going on between the authorities on both sides in sports and health to discuss cooperation in such fields. There are many more similar exchanges in other sectors that will soon bear fruit and yield tangible benefits to both our countries and our peoples.
There is so much more that we can do to enhance our cultural and person-to-person exchanges. In fact, ever since I arrived in March this year, I am increasingly convinced that culture and history is the best badge of this country. Nowadays cultural diplomacy is one of the key elements in bringing people closer and I found that particularly relevant here in Malta. As Chinese Ambassador, I am truly delighted by the growing cultural exchanges between China and Malta.
The China Cultural Centre has been playing a significant role in this regard. By the end of this year, there will be an art group from China to perform at the 2012 L-Istrina aimed at raising funds for the Community Chest Fund. I find this particularly meaningful because our cultural exchanges are also translating into real benefits for those people in need of help.
I feel there is so much more China and Malta can do together and I have full confidence that in the remaining years of my tenure more progress will be registered on various fronts of our relations to the mutual benefit of both our countries and peoples.
The author is the Chinese Ambassador to Malta.