Today marks the 66th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The People’s Republic has gone through an extraordinary journey over the past 66 years. In over half a century and especially over three decades since China’s reform and opening-up, we have turned China into the world’s second largest economy, lifted 1.3 billion people from a life of chronic shortage and brought them initial prosperity and unprecedented rights and dignity. This is not only a great change in the lives of the Chinese people, but also a huge step forward in human civilization and China’s major contribution to world peace and development.
At the same time, we are soberly aware that China is still the world’s largest developing country. Our per capita GDP is only two-thirds that of the global average. In order to achieve common prosperity for all, development remains China’s top priority. To this end, the Chinese government has set two centenary goals: to double the 2010 GDP and per capita income of the Chinese and complete the building of a moderately prosperous society by 2020; and to build a prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious modern socialist country and realise the great renewal of the Chinese nation by the middle of the century. To achieve the above goals, we must comprehensively deepen reform, advance law-based governance and apply strict party discipline.
At the moment, the global economic recovery is still weak and China’s economy has riveted the world’s attention. In the first half of this year, China’s economy grew by seven percent and this growth rate remains one of the highest in the world. This has not come by easily given the complex and volatile situation in the world economy.
At present, all economies are facing difficulties, and China’s economy is also under downward pressure. But this is only a problem in the course of progress. China will take coordinated steps to achieve stable growth, deepen reform, adjust structure, improve livelihood and prevent risks, while strengthening and innovating macro regulation to keep the growth at a medium-high speed. Currently, China is continuing to move forward its new type of industrialisation, digitalisation, urbanisation and agricultural modernisation. China has a high savings rate, a huge consumption potential, a hard-working population and a rising proportion of middle-income people. This creates an enormous space for the services sector and offers a big market with great potential.
China will focus more on improving the quality and efficiency of economic growth and accelerating the shift of growth model and adjustment in economic structure. China will lay greater emphasis on innovation and consumption-driven growth. In this way, we will solve the problem of unbalanced, uncoordinated and unsustainable development and enable the Chinese economy to successfully transform itself and maintain strong momentum of growth.
On the bilateral front, we should all take special pride in the fact that in the past year the China-Malta relationship has maintained its good momentum of development featuring frequent high-level visits, fruitful trade and economic cooperation, and flourishing cultural and people-to-people exchanges.
On the bilateral front, we should all take special pride in the fact that in the past year the China-Malta relationship has maintained its good momentum
In June, Guo Jinlong, Party Secretary of Beijing Municipality and member of Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee paid a friendly visit to Malta and had fruitful meetings with the President, the Prime Minister and the Opposition leader. This visit has not only consolidated bilateral relations but also deepened the party-to-party exchanges between our two countries.
Besides, Foreign Minister George Vella paid a successful visit to China in July and Chinese Vice-Minister for Sports Feng Jianzhong visited Malta back in March. That visits yielded two agreements on cooperation in areas of film production and sports respectively. In August Chinese and Maltese officials convened their first meeting of the Joint Commission on Science and Technological Cooperation and reached agreement on the establishment of a Joint Research Centre in Aquaculture.
Worth mentioning is that the Opposition leader also visited China last July. This visit increased the mutual understanding and exchanges between the Chinese Communist Party and the National Party. Later this year, we are also going to hold the 10thmeeting of China-Malta Joint Economic and Trade Commission (JETC).
On trade and economic cooperation, the two countries have witnessed fruitful cooperation. In 2014, China-Malta trade totalled $3.78 billion, an 16.8% increase over the previous year and nearly 40 times that of early this century. In July, the Maltese side signed a strategic agreement with Huawei Technologies, one of the leading Chinese companies in telecommunications, which will see 5G technology tested in Malta. A Huawei regional office was also inaugurated at Smart City. All these have shown the dynamism and depth of the trade and economic relations between China and Malta.
Our people-to-people exchanges have never been so close and robust. Last month, Maltese people joined us in welcoming the Chinese boats retracing the Ancient Maritime Silk Road. The stopover of Captain Zhai Mo, a renowned Chinese voyager as well as other crew members in Malta was met with warm hospitality. This event has revived the memory of the key role Malta used to and will continue to play as a hub in the Mediterranean connecting cultures of Europe, Africa and Asia.
Meanwhile, the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Centre in Paola continued to act as a bridge between China and the Malta with a new team of doctors from China. The renovation of the garden of the TCM centre has provided a better environment for patients. I am also glad to see the collaboration with Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, whereby the University of Malta is offering a course leading to a master degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Culture.
This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the world anti-fascist war. The Chinese people held ground in the main theatre in the east of the world anti-fascist war. In that devastating war, the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression started the earliest and lasted the longest. At a heavy price of 14 years of tenacious fight and 35 million casualties, the unyielding Chinese people fought gallantly and finally won total victory against the Japanese militarist aggressors, thus preserving China’s 5000-year-old civilization and upholding the cause of peace of mankind.
Like China, Malta has also made great sacrifices in the war against the fascists. Between 1941 and 1942, Valletta and Cospicua were one of the most heavily bombarded places on earth. At that time, Malta was under siege and blocked by Axis air and naval forces. The Santa Marija Convoy operation in August 1942 has gone down in military history as one of the most important victories of the World War II.
History is like a textbook that always reminds us to make sure that this tragedy will never repeat itself. The common experience of suffering in the war has made the Chinese and Maltese people value peace all the more. Today, peace and development have become the prevailing trend, but the world is far from tranquil. War is the sword of Damocles that still hangs over mankind. We must learn the lessons of history and dedicate ourselves to peace.
During the commemorative ceremony on 3rd September in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping solemnly announced that China would cut the number of its troops by 300,000. This significant step once again demonstrates China’s determination to safeguard world peace and development through concrete efforts. No matter how much stronger it may become, China will never seek hegemony or expansion. The Chinese people are resolved to pursue friendly relations with all other countries, uphold the outcomes of the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japanese aggression and the world anti-fascist war, and make a greater contribution to mankind.
Cai Jinbiao is the Chinese Ambassador to Malta.