Your Excellency, Secretary Li Ganjie,
Excellences, diplomatic envoys of the Caribbean countries,
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
Greetings to you all!
It gives me great pleasure to attend the unveiling ceremony of the China-Caribbean Development Center. At the 76th UNGA in September 2021, President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Development Initiative, calling on the international community to pay attention to the special difficulties of developing countries and to jointly facilitate the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which has been warmly responded to and supported by the international community including the Caribbean countries. To enhance development cooperation between China and Caribbean countries, at the Third Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum held in December 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced the decision to establish the China-Caribbean Development Center. With the joint efforts of all sides, especially the great support of the Shandong Provincial Government, the China-Caribbean Development Center has become a reality in the beautiful Spring City of Jinan. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, I would like to extend sincere gratitude for the vigorous support of Shandong Provincial government! My sincere thanks also go to everyone who has contributed to the building of the Center.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends.
Development is the eternal theme of human society. As pointed out by President Xi Jinping, for people of various countries, development represents dignity and rights where survival and hope hinge upon.
The world today is facing changes unseen in a century. Complex factors such as the global pandemic, regional conflicts, major-country rivalry, and anti-globalization currents are all intertwined, bringing about unprecedented challenges to global development. The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has met setbacks. The North-South Divide is widening. Food and energy crises have popped up. People in various countries have an even stronger longing for peace, development, and cooperation.
It is from the overall wellbeing of the mankind that President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Development Initiative, calling on international efforts to implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to build global development partnerships featuring solidarity, equality, balance, and universal benefit and to promote cooperation in various areas including poverty reduction, health, education, digital connectivity, and industrialization. Not long ago, President Xi Jinping chaired the High-Level Dialogue on Global Development and delivered an important address. Important consensus came out of the meeting for developing countries to build strength to promote international development cooperation and implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Both China and the Caribbean countries belong to the developing family, and both shoulder important mission for national development. Over the years, the two sides have conducted effective cooperation. China has provided assistance for economic and social development of the Caribbean countries to the best of our ability. Over the past 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two sides, and since the visit of President Xi Jinping to the Caribbean in 2013 in particular, the China-Caribbean comprehensive cooperative partnership has continuously deepened, with ever stronger political mutual trust, and fruitful practical cooperation. We have kept close coordination and cooperation in international affairs and set a fine example of countries of different sizes treating each other with mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit for common development. In the face of COVID-19, we have stood in solidarity and watched out for each other, writing a new chapter of friendship.
Facing challenges and hope in the new era, the destinies of China and the Caribbean have never been so closely linked. The reason for the Chinese initiative to establish the China-Caribbean Development Center is to work with the Caribbean side to focus on the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, build development consensus, enhance solidarity and coordination, and deepen exchanges and cooperation in such areas as poverty reduction, food security, pandemic response and vaccine, development financing, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy, and digital connectivity so as to give impetus to sustainable development of Caribbean countries.
Shandong is large coastal province in terms of size, population, economic volume, and cultural resources. In recent years, Shandong has been actively implementing the new development concept of innovative, coordinated, green, and open development for all. High quality development is pursued with tangible results every day. Shandong is also home to Confucianism. As a line of the Analects of Confucius goes, “all men under heaven are brothers.” Transcending tens of thousands of miles, Shandong has forged friendly ties with the Caribbean countries, laying a sound foundation for cooperation in areas such as pandemic response, economic investment, infrastructure development, and human resources training. The reason for identifying Shandong as the site of the Center is to fully tap into the unique strength of Shandong, and to focus on development issues of great interest from the Caribbean side. Through intensified exchanges between governments, institutions of higher learning, media and think tanks, and by various means such as material donation, technical support, personnel training, and academic research, a number of high-standard, sustainable, and practical cooperation projects will be launched to bring more benefits to people of the Caribbean. We are happy to note that with concerted efforts, the Center has already conducted a series of cooperation projects on anti-pandemic material donation, technical training on Juncai, training on fishing through net cage, etc. The Caribbean countries are important participants, contributors, and of course, beneficiaries of the Center.
As a Caribbean saying goes, “a true friend is more precious than gold in the pocket.” China does not seek any selfish gains or sphere of influence in the region. Nor does it involve in any geopolitical contention. It never interferes into the domestic affairs of regional countries. History has proven and will continue to prove that China is sincere in its assistance for Caribbean countries and bilateral cooperation in various areas is mutually beneficial.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
The Caribbean countries are splendid pearls on the Caribbean Sea and hot lands full of dynamism and potential. The launch of the China-Caribbean Development Center is an epitome of the joint efforts to implement the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Global Development Initiative. It is another milestone in our joint journey toward shared prosperity and development, and a great gift for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and the Caribbean. China is ready to work with friends of the Caribbean to make a success of the new platform of the China-Caribbean Development Center to build an even closer China-Caribbean Community with a Shared Future.
May the Center enjoy every success! May the China-Caribbean relations enjoy a brighter future!
Thank you!
