Distinguished Lord Mayors and Cathaoirleachs,
Distinguished Deputy James O'Connor,
Your Excellencies Ambassadors and Friends from Diplomatic Corps,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great honour to have you with us here tonight to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
I would like to extend my warm welcome to all the guests present, and express my heartfelt thanks to all the friends who have long cared for and supported the development of China-Ireland relations!
Over the past 74 years, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people, through their strenuous efforts, have achieved the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and began a new journey toward the second centenary goal of building a modern socialist country in all respects. China has won the world’s biggest ever battle against poverty, and lifted 12.37 million people out of poverty every year over the past decade. Now China is the world's second largest economy, the largest manufacturing country, the largest trader of goods, and the largest country with foreign exchange reserves.
The remarkable achievements have been accomplished despite all the headwinds because China has embarked on a right path which suits its own national conditions, that is, Chinese path to modernization. Chinese modernization is the modernization of a huge population, of common prosperity for all, of material and cultural-ethical advancement, of harmony between humanity and nature, and of peaceful development. On our path to modernization, we have delivered outstanding achievements. In the first half of this year, China’s economy grew by 5.5% year-on-year in a complicated and severe external environment, showing the strong resilience of China’s development and giving a much stronger impetus to the global economy. According to the IMF World Economic Outlook updated last month, China’s economy is expected to grow by 5.2% this year, accounting for one third of total global growth.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, changes of our world, our times, and history are unfolding in ways like never before. We humankind, barely emerging from the pandemic, are confronted with unprecedented multiple crises and challenges: the sluggish world economic recovery, a widening development gap, ceaseless hot-spot issues and intensifying geopolitical conflicts.
In this context, President Xi Jinping has put forth the vision of building a human community with a shared future, and put forward the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, which demonstrate China’s role and responsibility as a major power.
China has always been a builder of world peace. We take an active part in the UN peacekeeping operations and the international arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation processes. We are the 2nd largest contributor to the UN regular budget and peacekeeping assessments.
China has always been a contributor to global development. China has contributed over 30% to world economic growth, and over 70% to world poverty reduction. China is a major trading partner for over 140 countries and regions.
China has always been a defender of the international order. We support multilateralism, and safeguard the international system with the United Nations Charter at its core.
China has always been a promoter of progress of human civilizations. We advocate equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations. .
Ladies and Gentlemen,
China and Ireland are far away from each other geographically, and differ in history, culture, values and social systems. Despite our distance, differences and diversity, both countries share common aspirations and pursuit for world peace, national development and wellbeing of the people.
Recent years have witnessed a good momentum in our relations in many aspects. Our bilateral business ties continue to grow robustly. In the first 7 months of this year, our two-way commodity trade reached 12.6 billion US dollars, an increase of 24.4% compared to the same period in 2019. Now China is Ireland's 4th largest trading partner, the 5th largest goods export market, the 7th largest service export destination, the largest trading partner in Asia Pacific and the largest overseas market for Irish pork and baby formula. Since the resumption of export to China early this year, Irish beef has been more and more popular among Chinese consumers.
The friendly ties between our two peoples have become more solid. The Chinese language has become a subject of Leaving Cert. Nowadays, more than 50,000 Chinese are studying, working and living in Ireland. Two weeks ago, Westlife’s Wild Dreams Tour in China sparked a heated wave of nostalgia on China's social media. And the Chinese people are looking forward to enjoying the fantastic Riverdance again from November to January in 27 cities in China.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have visited every county of Ireland, and had friendly exchanges with people from different sectors. I felt Irish people's friendly sentiments towards China and the Chinese people, their willingness to know more about China, and their belief that China-Ireland cooperation serves the interests of both sides. China and Ireland share extensive common interests, the convergence of our views outweighs our differences, and our cooperation far outweighs our competition. These impressions have strengthened my confidence in the further development of the China-Ireland relations.
We will celebrate the 45th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and Ireland in 2024. Looking ahead, I firmly believe that China-Ireland relations will surely become more and more comprehensive, complementary and constructive. China would like as always to make joint and persistent efforts with Ireland to enhance our mutual respect and trust, explore the great potential of cooperation, and deliver more tangible benefits for our two peoples. The future of our relations will be full of opportunities and excitement.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to propose a toast,
To the 74th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China,
To the brighter future of China-Ireland relations,
To the friendship between our two peoples,
And to the good health of all guests,
Sláinte!