Respected Mr. Ashish Middha, Head of Branch Secretariat, Ministry of External Affairs and our Chief Guest for today’s event,
Ms.Priya Yadav, Joint Secretary,Office of the Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal,
Representatives from Consular Corps,
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
Good evening!
It is a great pleasure to have you here celebrating the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. On behalf of the Chinese Consulate General in Kolkata, I extend a warm welcome to all the guests and express our sincere gratitude to friends from all walks of life. Thank you for your continued support for China's development and for China-India friendship.
This year marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. As the world's largest governing party, the CPC leads a country of over 1.4 billion people and wields significant global influence. The Party has always been committed to seeking the truth, staying rooted among the people and bearing its historical mission. It follows the trend of development and demonstrates the courage and capacity to overcome challenges, and remains focused on self-strengthening.
Under the strong leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people have successfully blazed the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We have achieved the twin miracles of rapid economic growth and long-term social stability. This has also provided developing countries with successful experience and confidence to independently pursue their modernization. Today, the Chinese people are marching forward on the path of Chinese modernization, striving to achieve the second centenary goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
This year also marks the launch of China's 15th Five-Year Plan for economic and social development. The external environment has become more uncertain and unstable. Geopolitical conflicts are spilling over and spreading. Yet China's economy has withstood the pressure and maintained stable growth, moving toward innovation- driven ,high-quality development.
In the first half of this year, China's GDP reached 10.42 trillion US dollars. This represents a year-on-year increase of 4.7%. Total import and export volume exceeded about 3.73 trillion US dollars, for the first time in the same period on record. New growth drivers, represented by high-end manufacturing, the digital economy, and modern services, contributed more than 40% to China’s economic growth.
This report card demonstrates China's resilience and vitality. It has injected greater confidence into our efforts to ensure a good start for the 15th Five-Year Plan. And it has also provided more stability and opportunities for countries around the world, including India.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
The world is undergoing accelerating changes unseen in a century and a turbulent international landscape. In response, President Xi Jinping has advocated building a community with a shared future for humanity. He has put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative. These initiatives have brought much-needed stability and positive energy into a changing and turbulent world.
Just ten days ago, President Xi attended the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi. He stressed that BRICS must stand firmly on the right side of history. BRICS should strive to be a pioneer in advancing innovation-driven development, in upholding peace and stability, in facilitating mutual learning between civilizations, and in reforming and improving global governance. Global South countries should jointly defend the rule of law in international affairs. We should hold high the banner of multilateralism and stay committed to a people-centered development philosophy. We should jointly advance security governance. We should guide the international order toward greater justice and equity. Together, we can build a community with a shared future for humanity.
During the summit, President Xi proposed several initiatives. These include the open source and inclusive AI initiative, the digital industry cooperation initiative, and the intelligent manufacturing cooperation initiative. He announced multiple practical cooperation measures. In particular, China will take the lead in establishing a BRICS AI open source community. China will also establish a BRICS digital ecosystem cloud platform and launch a BRICS youth exchange program for scientific and technological innovation. China is committed to supporting other Global South countries. We will help them improve capacity and benefit equally from emerging technologies so that we can thrive together.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
On September 12, President Xi and Prime Minister Modi also held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi. The two leaders had an in-depth exchange of views on the development of China-India relations. The most important consensus they reached is that China and India should be partners. As the two most populous countries in the world and major members of the Global South, China and India should focus on development, which we all believe is the greatest common ground between our two countries. We should strengthen friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation. We should improve public perception of bilateral relations. We should address each other's economic and trade concerns in a balanced way. In so doing, we can and will promote the sound and steady development of bilateral relations.
Under the strategic guidance of the leaders of our two countries, China and India have achieved positive results in exchanges and cooperation across various fields. From January to August , our bilateral trade reached 125 billion US dollars. This represents a year-on-year increase of 22.6%. India's exports to China surged by 41%. Just yesterday, China Southern Airlines officially resumed direct flight between Guangzhou and New Delhi. This will further facilitate people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
Eastern India,particularly West Bengal, boasts rich cultural heritage and tremendous potential for economic and trade cooperation. Against this backdrop, the Chinese Consulate has been actively fostering exchanges at both cultural and people to people levels.
Since the beginning of this year, the Chinese Consulate General has successively hosted a series of cultural events. These include the China Film Festival, International Chinese Language Day, and the Dragon Boat Race. Recently, we invited the Yunnan Art Troupe to visit Kolkata. We successfully held a cultural performance and a Chinese food festival. We have also organized delegations of Indian artists, mainstream media, and acupuncture doctors to visit China. These cultural and people-to-people exchanges were warmly welcomed and widely acclaimed by friends from all walks of life. Through these efforts, we have further promoted mutual understanding and friendship between our two peoples, as well as mutual appreciation and learning between our two ancient civilizations and cultures.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
The Chinese Consulate General looks forward to working with our friends from all sectors in Eastern India, to implement the important common understandings reached by the two leaders. Together, we will promote the healthy and stable development of China-India relations and jointly contribute to peace and prosperity in the region and the world.
Dear friends,
In just two days, we will celebrate the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. It is a time for family reunion and celebrating the harvest. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
To conclude, I propose a toast:
To the prosperity of China and India, and to the happiness and well-being of our peoples!
To ever-stronger China-India friendship!
Cheers! Thank You!