Your Excellencies the Most Hon. Sir Howard Cooke and Lady Cooke,

The Hon. Ministers£¬Members of Parliament and Senators,

Excellencies,

Chief of Staff Rear Admiral and Mrs. Lewin,

Distinguished Guests,

Leaders of the Chinese Community,

Fellow Chinese,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Thank you for joining us tonight in celebrating the 56th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Your presence here will not only make our reception an occasion to remember and celebrate, but also serve as an encouragement for us to work together for the stronger relationship between China and Jamaica.

 

In the past 56 years, China has experienced periods of hardships along with times of glory. With the entire nation united as one, we have taken up various challenges and achieved remarkable economic development and social progress. China has developed from a semi-colonial and semi-feudal, poor and backward nation into a prosperous and independent socialist country.

 

Especially over the past 27 years since late Mr. Deng Xiaoping initiated the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, China has averaged the annual economic growth rate at 9.4%, bringing its GDP from US$147.3 billion to US$1.65 trillion. Its trade volume has increased from merely US$20.6 billion to US$1.15 trillion. By the end of last June, China's foreign exchange reserve had reached US$711 billion. Its expressways have extended from zero to 33,000 kilometers. By the end of 2004, China had attracted a total of US$562.1 billion in foreign direct investment, approved the establishment in China of more than 500,000 foreign-funded enterprises. The country has created a huge import market of some US$560 billion annually. And over 400 firms out of the Fortune 500 have had their branches in China. Now China has become one of the world's most dynamic economies, ranking no. 6 in GDP, no. 4 in trade volume and no. 3 in foreign investment.

 

In spite of the above widely acclaimed achievements, we keep a sober mind that today China is still a developing country faced with many problems. China has a huge population of 1.3 billion, a weak economic foundation, uneven development between regions and consequently the mounting pressure arising from population, resources and environment. Despite the rapid growth in economy, China's per capita GDP of US$ 1,200 still trails behind the 100th in the world. There are still 26 million people living below the poverty line in China's vast rural areas, while 22 million urban residents live on minimum living allowance.

 

To address various problems and reach the country's modernization target, the Chinese people have no alternative but to unswervingly follow the road of peaceful development in a bid to create a long-term peaceful international environment for China's economic construction. On the other hand, the road of peaceful development chosen by China is also a path for one to develop oneself in defense of world peace, and to promote world peace through one's own development. While adhering to the basic principle of self-reliance, we also pursue a policy of opening-up and stand ready to strengthen economic exchanges and cooperation with other countries. We believe that China's development will not only raise the living standards of the 1.3 billion Chinese people, but also bring about more development opportunities to other countries in the world.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

China and Jamaica are geographically far away from each other, but they enjoy a long history of friendly contact. Last year, we just celebrated the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first group of Chinese in Jamaica. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1972, China and Jamaica have enjoyed an all-round friendly cooperation, as evidenced by frequent exchange of visits among leaders of both countries, increased trade volume, flourishing cultural and sports exchanges and close cooperation on international affairs.

 

In the political area, the exchange of high-level visits between the two countries is frequent, resulting in the strengthened mutual trust politically among our leaders. During the visit to Jamaica by the Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong in February this year, China and Jamaica agreed to establish a friendly partnership for common development, demonstrating the strong aspiration of the two countries for furthering our bilateral relations. Prime Minister P. J. Patterson's successful visit to China in June has injected new vigor and vitality into Sino-Jamaican relations. The grand opening of the Jamaican Embassy in Beijing officiated by Foreign Minister K. D. Knight and his Chinese counterpart in July is an important indication of our relationship growing from strength to strength.

 

In recent years, the economic and technical cooperation between China and Jamaica has yielded sound economic and social benefits. Jamaica has become China's largest trading partner in the English-speaking Caribbean region. The China-Caribbean Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum cosponsored by China and Jamaica in February this year has provided a new platform for more exchanges and cooperation between business circles from China and the Caribbean countries including Jamaica. I am glad to tell you that much fresh headway has been made in our economic and technical cooperation projects. The construction of the Greenfield Stadium in Trelawny has already started. Negotiations are underway on projects such as the rehabilitation of the Jamaican railway system, the building of the convention center in Montego Bay, the construction of the Jamaican telemedicine network and China's continuous supply of pipes for Jamaican water project, to name only a few.

 

The areas of cooperation between China and Jamaica have been further expanded to tourism, sports, culture, education, media and military, etc. In February, China had listed ten Caribbean countries including Jamaica as approved tourist destinations for its citizens. The Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin led a JDF delegation to China in July. Two Chinese table tennis coaches are now in Kingston, training Jamaican national players. Under the Chinese government scholarship program, several Jamaican students are studying at Chinese universities. At the invitation of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, two journalists from the Gleaner and the Observer are right now in China for a ten-day visit. The Chinese ocean research vessel "DAYANG YIHAO", which is carrying out a round-the-world trip, will make a call at the Port of Kingston in early October. At the same time, invited by Minister K. D. Knight and Secretary General Mr. Satya Nandan respectively, a Chinese Oceanic Delegation will visit Jamaica and the International Seabed Authority. I believe these two visits will break new ground for cooperation between our two countries.

 

In the international arena, China and Jamaica hold many identical or similar positions, extend support to each other on some major issues and have conducted sound cooperation. Jamaica is an important country in the Caribbean region and an active player on the world stage. In January this year, Jamaica assumed the chairmanship of G77 + China. China highly appreciates the large amount of useful work Jamaica has done for the developing countries during its chairmanship of G77 and China, the most recent example being its efforts to have put the development issue at the important position in the outcome document of the just-concluded UN Summit. China hopes to conduct closer cooperation with Jamaica in the United Nations and other international organizations, so as to contribute to safeguarding world peace, boosting South-South cooperation and promoting common development.

 

Having said all these, I'd like to echo what President Hu Jintao said to Prime Minister Patterson last June in Beijing: "The year 2005 is the year of Sino-Jamaican friendship". I can assure our Jamaican friends that China will remain a reliable development partner to Jamaica forever, and the concerted efforts by both sides will be rewarded by a stronger and more fruitful relationship between our two countries in the years ahead.

 

Now I would like to propose a toast,

To the good health of the Governor General and Lady Cooke,

To the prosperity of China and Jamaica,

To the friendship between the Chinese and Jamaican peoples,

And to the health of all friends present tonight.

Cheers!