Honorable Deputy Prime Minister Salvini,
Honorable Vice Minister Valentini,
Honorable Secretary-General Toniato,
Honorable Director-General Qu Dongyu,
Honorable Ambassadors, Distinguished guests, Dear Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good evening!
It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this reception celebrating the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
In this golden autumn season, I journeyed from Norway, the magnificent and tranquil “land of the fjords”, to the sunny Apennine Peninsula, to assume my new post as the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Italy. I’m delighted at this new posting, and I’m fully aware of the responsibility it entails. In the past two weeks, I have met many new friends. Tonight, I am deeply impressed to see so many distinguished guests here. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Italy, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you, and my sincere appreciation to our friends from all walks of life who cherish China-Italy relations!
This year marks the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan. Under the firm leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people have weathered countless hardships and achieved the tremendous transformation from standing up, growing prosperous to becoming strong. China is now advancing the cause of building China into a great country on all fronts and realizing great national rejuvenation through the Chinese path to modernization, while at the same time bringing new opportunities for world peace and development.
China’s development draws global attention and empowers the world. From a poor, largely agrarian country to the world’s second-largest economy, China has lifted more than 800 million people out of poverty. For many years, China has contributed more than 30 percent of global economic growth. Its GDP grew by 4.7 percent in the first half of this year, reinforcing its continued role as the major engine for the world economy. From the “world’s factory” to an innovation powerhouse, China is pursuing a green and digital transformation. It has become the world’s largest contributor to energy conservation and emissions reduction, and the country with the largest number of artificial intelligence patents. China is committed to sharing the fruits of innovation, so that they can better benefit humanity. In the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will scale up the opening-up and use the strength of the world’s second-largest consumer market to create “China Opportunity 2.0” for cooperation with all countries including Italy.
China’s commitment to the world embodies a deep sense of responsibility and benefits humanity. In view of a turbulent international landscape, China always firmly acts as a builder of world peace. It has deployed a larger peacekeeping force than any other permanent member of the UN Security Council, and has actively promoted dialogue and reconciliation for easing regional conflicts. China remains a contributor to global development. It has helped to improve infrastructure in partner countries through the Belt and Road Initiative, and created new momentum for development in the Global South through concrete cooperation. China remains an upholder of the international order. It firmly upholds the principles of the UN Charter and multilateralism, and has proposed initiatives on global development, security, civilization and governance, providing Chinese wisdom for improving global governance and building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,
As outstanding representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations, China and Italy have maintained friendly exchanges for over a thousand years. Over the past 56 years since the establishment of China-Italy diplomatic relations, our bilateral ties have developed steadily, with fruitful cooperation in a wide range of areas. The China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership has continued to deepen. In 2019, President Xi Jinping paid a historic state visit to Italy. In 2024, President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made successful visits to China. High-level exchanges have provided strategic guidance and strong impetus for bilateral relations. Economic and trade cooperation has continued to progress, with bilateral trade growing steadily year by year and expected to exceed 80 billion US dollars this year. People-to-people exchanges have also flourished. 91 pairs of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have established sister-city/province relationship. 30,000 plus Chinese students constitute the largest group of international students in Italy. China’s visa-free policy for Italian citizens, together with nearly 80 direct flights between our two countries every week, has greatly facilitated travel and exchanges between our peoples. China and Italy also maintain close coordination in international affairs. Our two countries share common views and work together on multilateral platforms such as the UN and the G20 to uphold multilateralism and the free trade system. While appealing for mutual learning among civilizations, we encourage the international community to remain committed to dialogue and cooperation, and to work together to address global challenges.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,
China-Italy friendship transcends mountains and seas, and the road ahead is wide open. Standing at a new historical juncture, I firmly believe that, by drawing on the ancient wisdom of harmony in diversity and mutual learning through exchanges, and by staying on the right path of mutual respect, mutual trust and win-win cooperation, we can surely bring China-Italy relations to new heights. As an Italian saying goes, “Meglio un amico che cento ducati” - “A friend is worth more than a hundred ducats”, I look forward to working with all friends to write together a new chapter in China-Italy relations.
Finally, let us raise our glasses:
To the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China;
To the everlasting friendship between China and Italy;
And to the happiness, health and well-being of all our distinguished guests.
Cheers! Thank you very much!