Your Excellency Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Education,

Mr Gan Thiam Poh, Member of Parliament,

Mr Ong Teng Koon, Member of Parliament,

Distinguished guests, dear friends,

Tonight we are here in celebration of the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. First of all, please allow me to extend my warmest welcome to all of you, and also express my heartfelt thanks to you for your good wishes to my country.

The past 69 years tells a story of China’s rising from poverty and backwardness and keeping forging towards prosperity. The past 69 years represent another glorious chapter in Chinese history—one that witnessed not only profound changes in China, but also China’s contributions to Asia’s rise and world peace and development.

As we enter a new era and stand at a new starting point, China’s 56 ethnic groups, with their aspirations for a better life, closely rally around the CPC central leadership with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, continue to follow the “Two-Step”development strategies decided at the 19th CPC National Congress, and forge ahead with one heart and one mind. Every Chinese is striving to make his or her dreams come true in the process of building a moderately prosperous society and achieving the “Two Centenary Goals”.

These achievements have not come easily; they have been made possible by the pioneering spirit and painstaking efforts of the Chinese people. They have also been made possible by finding a development path that suits China’s national conditions. Of course, we can not achieve them without a generally peaceful and stable international environment and a world order that seeks cooperation and development.

The development path we choose determines our destiny. China’s past development has proven that its development model is correct, widely-accepted, and suited to China. Chinese people will follow the leadership of the Communist Party of China and remain committed to the development path tailored to our country’s goal. We will strive for a brighter future step by step, relying on our diligence and wisdom, overcoming all difficulties and obstacles, and deepening exchanges and cooperation with the rest of the world.

We saw great changes in China’s relationship with the rest of the world since China started its reform and opening up policy 40 years ago. The mutually-beneficial cooperation between China and other countries has brought us closer than ever before. This approach is conducive to the common development of all parties and follows the trend of the times. China’s reform will not cease, nor will China close its doors to the world; we will only become more and more open.

No country is immune from complex global challenges and landscape. Guided by the principle of mutual respect, equity, justice, and win-win cooperation, China is committed to building a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind. This is the general goal of China’s foreign policies in the new era, which we believe will contribute to the lasting peace and common prosperity of the world.

Over the five years since we put forward the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s cooperation with countries along the route has proceeded comprehensively and continues to deepen. The volume of trade in goods exceeds five trillion USD while outbound investment surpasses 60 billion USD. As President Xi Jinping pointed out at a recent meeting to mark the fifth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, this initiative meets the intrinsic requirements of reform for the global governance system. It advocates partnership, shared rights and responsibilities, and a community with a shared future. It offers both new ideas and new solutions to the reform of global governance system. China stands ready to work with all countries to take the Belt and Road Initiative to a higher level and deliver more tangible benefits to all parties.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The China-Singapore relationship is enjoying sound momentum. Last April, President Xi Jinping met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Boao, Hainan. Only days ago, the Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meetings were held successfully in Singapore. In November, Premier Li Keqiang will visit Singapore and attend the Leaders’ Meetings on East Asia Cooperation. The political guidance from our leaders plays an irreplaceable role in keeping our relationship on a track of sound and stable development.

We will continue to work with Singapore to increase the mutual understanding and friendship between our peoples. China admires what Singapore has achieved in economic development, social governance, and racial harmony, and respects Singapore’s multi-culture. It stands to reason that our close bonds in history, culture, and language should engender natural and positive energy in our bilateral relationship.

We will continue to deepen our friendly cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, equality, and mutual benefits. Over the past two decades, we have established several flagship projects: the Suzhou Industrial Park, Tianjin Eco-city, China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity. These projects meet the development needs of different times, and their significance and impacts extend far beyond each individual project. They embody not only the breadth and depth of our bilateral cooperation, but also a spirit of progressing with the times. The Belt and Road Initiative offers a new and higher platform and offers enhanced prospects for cooperation with higher performance.

We will work with Singapore to ensure that our cooperation benefits more regions and countries. Openness and cooperation are the common philosophy that our two countries share. China and Singapore are and will be committed to conducting third-party and cross-region cooperation. China supports Singapore, the rotating Chair of ASEAN this year, in its efforts to promote East Asia Cooperation. China also supports accelerating negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and making new advances towards regional economic integration and common development.

Since I assumed my post 6 months ago, I have extensive contact with Singapore government and people, which gives me a deep impression that the development of China-Singapore relations needs valuable support and engagement from all Singaporean friends. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my most sincere thanks to all the friends here and all the friends who are not here. To better facilitate our communication and interaction, the Chinese Embassy opens its official Facebook account (under the name “Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Singapore”) today, which, I hope, will become a new bridge between us and attract your attention and support.

May I propose a toast to the deepening friendship between our two countries and people and a toast to Her Excellency President Madam Halimah Yacob. To the President !