Amb. Li Zhengjun and Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Somare in a Delightful Talk
On the evening of 30 September 2004, the Chinese Ambassador H.E. Mr. Li Zhengjun and Mme. Sun Shuxian hosted a reception at the Crown Plaza in celebration of the 55th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China. More than 300 people attended the reception. Among them are Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Somare, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Peter O'Neill, Opposition Leader, heads of diplomatic missions, some governmental officials, members of parliament, and overseas Chinese. The reception was held in a very friendly atmosphere. Mr. Babani Maraga, Acting Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Immigration made a toast in which he praised the achivements made in the 28 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between PNG and China. He also empahsized that PNG will adhere to the one China policy and continue to make its efforts for the further development of the bilateral relations. Following is the speech delivered by Ambassador Li at the reception:
With great joy we are celebrating together the 55th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China. I have the honor to extend my warmest welcome and appreciation to all the friends present here tonight. At the same time, on this most happy and enjoyable occasion, I wish to extend our cordial festival greetings and best wishes to the Chinese people living in Papua New Guinea, and our sincere thanks to all friends who care for and support China's development and the friendship and cooperation between China and PNG.
In the passing year, the Chinese people have made eye-catching achievements in every field. The economy and various social undertakings have all developed rapidly. In the first six months, China's GDP reached US$ 734 billion, up 9.7%. For the past eight months, the total two-way trade volume reached US$722 billion. The total trade volume of this year is projected to be over US$ 1 trillion. Besides, in the Olympic Games recently held in Athens, the Chinese athletes brought glories to the Chinese nation by winning 32 gold medals, ranking second among all the participating countries and regions. All these achievements mark the new improvement of the overall national strength, which will give more confidence and impetus to the Chinese people to overcome all difficulties and meet all challenges to make new success.
It is the historical task for the Chinese nation to realize its complete reunification of the motherland. We will exert our utmost sincerity and make every effort to realize the peaceful reunification. We stand firmly opposed to any form of separatist activities aimed at "Taiwan Independence." We will never allow anybody to separate Taiwan from China in whatever ways. 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 adheres to the independent foreign policy of peace. We will actively engage in equal, mutually beneficial and friendly cooperations with all countries to safeguard world peace and promotes common development.
The friendship and cooperation between China and PNG has maintained sound momentum. Frequent high level visits and contacts have resulted in enhanced mutual understanding and confidence. The two sides have been cooperating and supporting each other in international affairs. The official visit to China made by Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Somare in February of this year has further promoted the development of our friendly relations and cooperation. PNG adheres to the one China policy and firmly opposes "Taiwan Independence." China highly appreciates the clear-cut position of PNG on the Taiwan question.
The bilateral trade volume keeps expanding. The volume of two-way trade reached US$ 160 million, up 26%, in the last 7 months. This year, several big Chinese corporations have come to PNG to conduct investment studies. China continues to deepen its policy of opening up to the outside world, and encourages the well-established corporations to make investment overseas. PNG is abundant in natural resources. Our two countries' economy is much complementary. This will provide an historical opportunity for the two countries to advance bilateral trade and investment cooperation. We are committed to find new ways to enhance our economic cooperation and consolidate the economic foundation of our friendly relations and cooperation. We are convinced that with the joint efforts of the two governments and peoples, the friendly relations and cooperation will be even more promising.
Now, I would like to propose a toast:
To the prosperity of the great People's Republic of China!
To the further development of the friendly cooperation between China and PNG!
To the ever-lasting friendship between our two peoples!