Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Somare chats with the Chinese Ambassador H.E. Mr. Li Zhengjun

On the evening of 30 September 2003, the Chinese Ambassador H.E. Mr. Li Zhengjun and Mme. Sun Shuxian hosted a reception at the Chinese Embassy in celebration of the 54th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China. The reception was well attended by guests from the Chinese community in Papua New Guinea and various PNG government agencies as well as the business circle and the media. The occasion was greatly graced by the presence of the PNG Prime Minister the Right Honorable Sir Michael Somare and several Cabinet Ministers. Following is the speech delivered by Ambassador Li at the reception:

We are delighted to gather here tonight to celebrate the 54th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China. First of all, I'd like to take this opportunity to extend, on behalf of the Chinese Embassy and also in my own name, our cordial greetings to all the Chinese people and the overseas Chinese including those living in PNG. At the same time, I also express my warmest welcome and sincere thanks to every friend present here.

Since the founding of new China, especially in the last 20 or more years of reform and opening up, eye-catching changes have taken place in this vast country with 1.3 billion people. China has seen continuous advancement in its national economic strength, defense capability and the cohesiveness of the whole Chinese nation. The ethical civilization and the building of democracy and legal system as well as other social undertakings have obtained enormous achievements. We are very proud to note that China's GDP now ranks sixth in the world, while its total import and export volume exceeded 600 billion US dollars, lifting China to the fifth place in world trade. The outputs of steel, coal, cement, chemical fertilizer, TV-set, meat, cotton, fruit and vegetable, etc. jumped to the first throughout the world. People's living standards have been significantly improved, and China has marched onto a new historical development stage of building a well-off society in a comprehensive manner.

With the joint efforts of both the government and people, China managed to overcome the adverse effect of the SARS epidemic and maintained a high GDP growth rate of 8.2 percent in the first half of this year, which reached about 600 billion US dollars. China's political stability and robust economic development contribute to the huge influx of foreign direct investment. By the end of 2002, business people from more than 170 countries and regions in the world have invested and established 424,000 foreign-funded enterprises in China. The total foreign investment on contract reached 828.1 billion US dollars while the actual foreign investment amounted to 448 billion US dollars. By the end of this June, the import and export volume totaled 376.1 billion US dollars with a growth rate of 39 percent. Now China's accumulated foreign reserve topped 340 billion US dollars. We are fully confident that the goal of 7 percent GDP growth rate for this year will be achieved.

The realization of the complete reunification of China is the common aspiration of the Chinese people including our Taiwan compatriots. The Taiwan authorities' political scheme to squeeze into the UN was defeated for the eleventh time consecutively this year. It shows that the political attempt of the Taiwan authorities at creating "two Chinas" or "one China, one Taiwan" enjoys little support in the global community and is bound to fail. We firmly believe that under the guidance of the fundamental principle of peaceful reunification and "one country, two systems", and with the concerted efforts of all the Chinese people at home and abroad, the complete reunification of Taiwan with the motherland and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will be achieved at an early date.

China is a peace-loving country, pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace. It is firmly dedicated to safeguarding world peace and promoting common development. We maintain that countries, big or small, strong or weak, are all equal members of the international community. We believe that the issues of the world should be resolved by all countries through consultation on an equal footing. We are happy to note that China and PNG cooperate closely and support each other in international affairs.

The adherence to the one China policy is the political foundation of our bilateral ties. We appreciate very much the PNG government's position on supporting the one China policy. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the friendship and cooperation between China and Papua New Guinea have been developing from strength to strength. The exchanges between our two countries in the fields of politics, economy, culture, education, defense, etc, have been all deepened. This year has witnessed more exchanges of high level visits. PNG Governor General Sir Silas Atopare for the first time paid a goodwill visit to China in August. As PNG head of state, he was accorded with warm hospitality by the Chinese government and people. Chinese President Hu Jintao is scheduled to meet with Sir Michael Somare in the forthcoming APEC Leaders' Informal Meeting in Thailand next month. These friendly exchanges will be conducive to the further development of the friendship and cooperation between our two countries.

We hold that it is imperative for our developing countries to support and help each other. China is the biggest and most populous developing country, and its per capita GDP is only about 1,000 US dollars at present, but for many years China has within its ability provided PNG with economic and technical assistance. The Chinese government will continue to provide 10 million Kina to the PNG government in 2003 for its economic development. The volume of our bilateral trade reached 186 million US dollars in 2002, and for the first half of this year, our bilateral trade increased by about 60%. We on our part will make further efforts to explore the ways to increase our bilateral trade, so as to consolidate the economic basis for our friendship and cooperation. We are fully convinced that the prospect for the friendship and cooperation between our two countries will be brighter.

Now I propose a toast:

to the prosperity of China,

to the friendly relations and cooperation between China and PNG and the well-being of the people of China and PNG,

to the health of every friend present here!

Ganbei!