H.E. Ambassador Cao Xiaolin
Friday, 22nd September, 2023
Hon. Samiu Vaipulu, Acting Prime Minister, and Minister for Justice and Prison,
Lords of the Realm,
Hon. Cabinet Ministers,
Hon. Members of the Legislative Assembly,
Excellencies and members of the diplomatic corps,
Representatives of the Chinese community in Tonga,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Evening.
October 1st is China’s National Day. I welcome all of you to the reception tonight in the Chinese Embassy to mark the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
74 years is not long in human history, nor in China’s 5000 year civilization. But the past seven decades is an unusual and outstanding period in China’s history. China has developed from an impoverished and backward land into the world’s second largest economy. It has found by itself a path to modernization, and created a new form of human advancement.
Over the past 40-plus years since China adopted its reform and opening-up policy in late 1970s, the Chinese government has lifted over 800 million people out of poverty, and enlarged the middle-income group to over 400 million people. China has created the twin miracles of rapid economic growth and enduring social stability. Today, China is the top trader in goods, biggest holder of foreign exchange reserves, and biggest manufacturer in the world. In a short span of several decades, China has realized industrialization that had taken the developed countries several centuries.
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held last October drew up a blueprint for China’s future development. The Congress made it clear that by the middle of this century, the central task of the CPC is to lead the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in a concerted effort to realize the second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. The modernization that China aims to achieve is the one that involves a huge population and features common prosperity for all, material and cultural-ethical advancement, harmony between man and nature, and peaceful development.
China’s success in its modernization was not handed down from the heaven or just emerged by itself. It has been attained step by step through determined, painstaking efforts of the Chinese people under the leadership of the CPC. Chinese modernization is deeply rooted in the Chinese history, practices and philosophies. Ample facts have proved that there is no fixed model of, or single solution to, modernization. Any country can achieve modernization, as long as the path suits its conditions and answers the need of its people for development.
As the world’s largest developing country, China’s development itself has global impacts. While focusing on running its own affairs well, China has followed the trend of the times of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, and has been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, a defender of international order and a provider of public goods.
Cooperation with the other developing countries is always a high priority in China's foreign policy. This is China’s strategic choice. Ten years ago, President Xi Jinping unveiled his vision for building a community with a shared future for mankind. He also proposed the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In more recent years, President Xi has put forward the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI). These initiatives offer a Chinese approach to lasting peace, greater development and closer cooperation in the world, and also provide an important platform for deepening cooperation between developing countries.
Particularly, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Global Development Initiative (GDI) are public goods that China offers to the international community. They are also open platforms for pursuing common development and prosperity. Ten years on since the start of the BRI, over 3,000 cooperation projects have been launched, involving close to US$1 trillion of investment and creating 420,000 jobs for participating countries. Many nations have thus realized their dreams of railways, big bridges, and poverty alleviation.
Hon. Acting Prime Minister, Lords of the Realm, Distinguished guests,
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Tonga. Over the past 25 years, under the guidance of the heads of states of China and Tonga, and with the joint efforts of the governments and people of our two countries, China-Tonga relations have maintained a good momentum of sound and stable development. The mutually beneficial cooperation has yielded fruitful results and brought tangible benefits to the Tongan people and made positive contributions to regional peace and stability.
Both China and Tonga are developing countries. China’s experiences may provide references for Tonga’s development. The cooperation between China and Tonga is unique and has its own characteristics: It is based on mutual respect without any strings attached. The purpose is to achieve common and sustainable development by helping each other. What China has done is based on the needs and proposals of Tonga. The cooperation is in the fundamental and long-term interests of the Chinese people and the Tongan people. I would like to take this opportunity to express China’s appreciation to the Royal family and His Majesty’s Government on the firm adherence to the one-China principle.
China is now carrying out more economic and technical cooperation with Tonga based on friendly consultation. On the grant assistance from China, the Tonga High School sports complex is under smooth construction with collaboration from the Government of Tonga. It will be another landmark building in Tonga. The wind power project will install three sets of 750KW wind turbines with the planned capacity of 2.25 MW. China will continue to provide more in-kind assistance as it has done in the past years. In agricultural cooperation, the Chinese agricultural team will work with their Tongan colleagues to plant new coconut trees and will help more Tongan families to raise pigs and poultry, to grow more vegetables, mushrooms and tropical fruits.
Besides, tangible outcomes have been achieved in cooperation between China and Tonga in economy, trade, small manufacturing industry, clean energy, tourism and some other fields to create more jobs, to improve people’s livelihood and to help Tonga become more resilient in responding to climate change under the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative. For example, the Chinese businessmen have invested in the sea-cucumber farming and Tobacco industry, and harvested and produced quality Tongan products. Their investments have created jobs and transferred technologies to the Tongan people. To make more positive progress in our cooperation, we will invite delegations of government officials, representatives from both the public and private sectors to visit China to learn experience on how farmers and entrepreneurs can run their businesses. We welcome Tonga to display its products at China International Import Expo in November this year to tap the potentials of the Chinese markets.
The world is undergoing profound changes. No matter how the world situation may evolve, China will continue to inject new vigor and vitality into the global economic development, and welcome countries around the world to share in the opportunities and benefits that come with China’s development.
China wishes to work with Tonga and the other countries to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world of lasting peace, common security and prosperity, and develop a community with a shared future for mankind.
Hon. Acting Prime Minister, Lords of the Realm, Distinguished Guests,
It is my honor to propose a toast, to the good health of His Majesty King Tupou VI, to the prosperity of both the Kingdom of Tonga and the People’s Republic of China, and to the further development of the comprehensive and strategic partnership between China and Tonga.
Cheers.