Seek Development through Innovation and Shape Common Future through Cooperation
Key-Note Speech Delivered at Opening Ceremony of 1st Meeting of Political Parties' Forum China-CELAC
(8 December, 2015, Beijing Hotel)
Song Tao, Minister of International Department of CPC Central Committee
Your Excellency Vice President Jorge Glas,
Your Excellencies Ruling-party Leaders from CELAC Countries,
Your Excellencies Diplomatic Envoys,
Ladies and Gentlemen, and Friends,
Good morning!
I am very glad to have this opportunity to meet the political-party delegates and distinguished guests who have traveled a long distance to be here. It is a bit cold in December in Beijing and it has been hazy in the past couple of days. Nonetheless, I can still sense the warmth, fresh air and passion you bring along from the other side of the ocean! Here, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to you on behalf of the Communist Party of China! I would like to give my hearty thanks to our friends both at home and abroad who have long devoted themselves to China-CELAC friendship! I would also like to sincerely congratulate the Political Parties' Forum China-CELAC on its establishment and the opening of its 1st Meeting!
President Xi Jinping of China held the milestone meeting with leaders of the CELAC countries in Brasilia in July last year and announced the establishment of the China-CELAC Forum. The successful convening of the 1st Ministerial Meeting of China-CELAC Forum early this year marks the fact that China and CELAC have turned our vision of integrated cooperation into reality.
The CPC has always attached great importance to the friendly exchanges with CELAC political parties, which it regards as an important part of the overall China-CELAC relations. As an institutionalized event under the China-CELAC Forum framework, the Political Parties' Forum China-CELAC is an important measure aimed to implement the key consensus reached by the leaders of the two sides, promote party-to-party exchanges, provide political guidance and boost China-CELAC comprehensive cooperation, and will provide a brand new multilateral platform for political parties of China and CELAC countries to conduct strategic dialogues and share development experiences.
The theme of this meeting is "Innovation, Development, Cooperation and Future – Challenges and Measures for China and CELAC Political Parties". It totally complies with the objective of the Forum, the concerns of both sides and the needs of China and CELAC countries to respond to a complicated world situation, and is of realistic significance in promoting China-CELAC comprehensive cooperation.
Ladies and gentlemen, and friends,
Since the beginning of the new millennium, CELAC countries have made strenuous efforts to brave a volatile world, take big strides in making progress in various economic fields, push forward the multi-layered integration process with "open regionalism", and noticeably elevate CELAC countries' international influence. The annual growth rate in this region has remained to be above 4%, with the contribution to the world economy reaching 14% and the per capita GDP USD10,000. CELAC has become an emerging force for maintaining global prosperity and growth as well as a rising "new height" in the global scene.
On this side of the ocean, following 3 decades of rapid development, China's economy has entered into the "new normal" of medium-high growth, witnessing a natural slowdown. Despite of that, China still maintained the growth rate of 7% in the first three quarters of this year and contributed 30% of the world economic growth with its per capita GDP reaching USD7,800.
To enhance China-CELAC cooperation is in the interest of China and CELAS countries, both being emerging economies. Today, we see ceaseless exchanges on all levels and thriving cooperation in all areas between the two sides, as our relations have entered into the best time in history. Our economic and trade cooperation has increased continuously in scale, in particular, as the trade volume jumped from USD10 billion at the beginning of this millennium to USD263.64 billion last year. China has become CELAC's second largest trading partner as well as the largest trading partner of many Latin American countries. CELAC is China's important overseas investment destination as well as one of the fastest-growing region globally in terms of its export to China. Although separated by the vast ocean, China and CELAC countries could offer timely help to each other, co-exist in peace despite of the differences of national characteristics and make spectacular achievements through mutual cooperation.
The Latin American people would often say, "Look to the future rather than the past". Starting from a new departure point, China and CELAC countries will strive for greater goals. The two sides are blessed with better opportunities, foundation and facilities and we have full confidence in our future.
Ladies and gentlemen, and friends,
Our world is a developing and changing one currently and the rise of the emerging economies and a large number of developing countries is an unstoppable historical trend. Economic globalization and computerization have immensely emancipated the productive force, increased productivity, created unprecedented historical opportunities for deeper cooperation and common development of China and CELAC countries and brought along new issues and challenges.
We can all feel the remaining impact of the global financial crisis, as the world economic recovery is weak with tremendous downward pressures. Following a period of rapid growth, China and CELAC countries are experiencing now the gradual emergence of long accumulated issues, such as the economic structure irrationality, widening rich-poor gap and deteriorating eco-environment. How to push forward reforms and break the development bottleneck is the serious common challenge which the political parties and politicians of China and CELAC countries need to face.
The Chinese people are striving to achieve the "Two Centennial Goals" and make the great dream of China's Rejuvenation come true. The first of the Two Centennial Goals is to build a "moderately prosperous country" by 2020 and double its 2010 GDP and the per capita income of urban and rural populations..
To achieve the goal, the 5th Plenary Session of the 18th Congress of CPC put forward 5 concepts of "innovation, coordination, greening, opening and sharing".
--To insist on innovation-based development is to take innovation as the top priority of national development and address the issue of lack of development driving force;
--To insist on coordinated development is to properly handle the major development issues to achieve dialectical, systematic, integrated and comprehensive development and address the problem of development imbalance;
--To insist on green development is to strive for resources saving, environment-friendly and sustainable development and address the issue of harmonious coexistence of man and nature;
--To insist on open development is to be integrated deeply into the world economy and take proactive part in global governance activities to address the issue of domestic-international development interconnection;
--To insist on shared development is to strive for increasing people's well-being and allowing more development results to benefit people in a fairer manner and addressing the issue of social equity and justice.
The 5 concepts were proposed on the basis of the experiences and lessons drawn from the development processes of various countries, careful analysis of the current domestic and international situations that China faces in its own development process, and the outstanding problems and issues of development in China. These concepts have a lot in common with CELAC's ongoing restructuring agenda for sustainable and inclusive development. We can inspire and learn from each other.
Ladies and gentlemen, and friends,
China is more than ready to share experiences, markets and opportunities with CELAC countries and our two sides could strive hand in hand for common development in the new era.
China and CELAC countries need to meet each other halfway, make dedicated efforts to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two sides, build a new 5-dimension China-CELAC relationship which incorporates sincere political mutual trust, win-win economic cooperation, mutual learning in terms of cultural exchanges, close and integrated coordination in international affairs and positive interaction in handling bilateral relations, and build a community of common destiny and shared interests. To that end, I would like to put forward the following suggestions:
First, speaking with a common voice in the international system reform on the basis of political mutual trust. China and CELAC countries have no historical issues or fundamental conflict of interests, pursue similar political goals, share the same or similar perspectives on many global and hot issues with our same vote ratio reaching 80% or higher in the UN. The two sides should continue to provide firm support to each other in following the development path matching their domestic realities and offer understanding and support to each other on issues of core interest and major concern, such as national sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and stability. In the face of in-depth international order realignment, the two sides should step up coordination and mutual assistance on important issues such as global governance, sustainable development and climate change, safeguard the common interests of developing countries and push the international order to develop towards a more just and reasonable direction.
Second, being committed to the common objectives under the new situation of reform and development and taking continuous innovation as the driving force. At this moment, the emerging nations face challenges in their development process, as their late-mover and comparative advantages are mitigating with a lack of development driving force. Looking at the world today, a new round of technology revolution and industrial transformation is brewing, as the developed nations are laying out their "reindustrialization" plans from a high starting point. To China and CELAC countries, it is only by releasing the development dynamism through continuous innovation and transformation of the economic development model based on traditional elements into the innovation-based one that we can fundamentally strengthen our core competitiveness and self-development capacity. China and CELAC countries should cultivate new cooperation growth points, tap cooperation potentials through innovation, and inject new impetus into our respective development process.
Third, meeting common challenges in the new global economic cycle based on ties of pragmatic cooperation. In the age of globalization and in the face of the risks and challenges brought along by the in-depth world economic revamp, no country can manage the risks alone or stand aloof. As main emerging economies, China and CELAC countries should enhance cooperation and make common efforts to overcome the difficulties of our time and make greater contribution to the global economic recovery. Being highly complementary to each other in economy and with matching development strategies, the pragmatic cooperation between China and CELAC countries will definitely achieve the "one plus one equals more than two" results. Leveraging our respective strengths, the two sides should endeavor to match up with each other's development needs, create the new capacity cooperation model, promote and upgrade higher quality and more efficient pragmatic cooperation and add "positive energy" to the world economy.
Fourth, achieving common development from the new starting point in China-CELAC relations for mutual benefit and win-win results. Development, the fundamental path to increase people's well-being and promote social progress, is the most important issue facing China and CELAC countries. With the open strategy of mutual benefit and win-win results and the correct approach to morality and profitability, and by holding on to the common development theme of our two sides, China will seek practical solutions to issues arising in the cooperation process of the two sides. China will import commodities worth over USD 1 trillion, make overseas investment worth USD 500 billion and have 500 million outbound tourists in the next five years, which will definitely bring about valuable opportunities and open up broader prospects for China-CELAC cooperation and common development. Moreover, China will be committed to pulling its current 70 million impoverished population out of poverty. Since the beginning of the new millennium, CELAC countries have made remarkable achievements in poverty reduction while still facing a tough job. China hopes to enhance cooperation with the CELAC countries in this respect to enable the development results to benefit each and every citizen.
Fifth, pooling collective wisdom in the new governance measures based on the party-to-party exchanges platform. The development of China-CELAC relations will not be realized without the motivation and guidance of their political parties. Good party-to-party relations will definitely bring about the leap forward development of China-CELAC ties on a broader, deeper and higher level. Both being in a crucial stage of quickening economic restructuring currently, the political parties of China and CELAC countries, with collective wisdom, need to identify their interests converging point through exchanges and mutual learning on issues of common concern to find shortcuts and avoid taking detours. China will make its utmost efforts to implement the program of inviting 1,200 CELAC political party leaders to visit China in the next five years and create favorable conditions for the politicians' exchanges between the two sides.
Ladies and gentlemen, and friends,
The establishment of the Political Parties' Forum China-CELAC symbolizes the new page that China-CELAC have turned in party-to-party exchanges, which will play a unique role under the China-CELAC Forum framework. The theme and 5 subtopics of this meeting are clearly defined with different focuses, reflecting the latest thinking and major concerns of the political parties in regard to ruling party capacity building and national development strategies. It showcases the Forum's efforts, made since its establishment, in seeking pragmatic results without resorting to empty talk.
It is hoped that the participants could speak freely on the above mentioned issues and, with your insights, allow the meeting to have a strong start and bear fruitful results for the growth of the forum.
Finally I would like to wish the meeting a complete success !
Thank you.
