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Remarks by H. E. Ambassador Gao Yanping at the National Day Reception
2013-10-18 19:21

His Excellency President Shimon Peres,

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,

Shalom! Erev Tov!

I am greatly honored to host the reception with all of you for celebrating the National Day of the People's Republic of China.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks, in particular, to H.E. President Shimon Peres. Mr. President, the guests, my staff and me are happily honored to have you with us tonight. Your presence is of great significance to the China-Israel friendship and relations. You are not only the well-respected leader of the Israeli people, but also an old and good friend of the Chinese people. Toda Raba, Mr. President. My thanks also go to all the friends present here tonight for your support and contribution to China’s achievements of development and the sound bilateral relations between China and Israel.

The founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 ushered in a new era for the Chinese people. A lot of changes and achievements have taken place in past 64 years, in particular, China’s fast economic growth, overall social progress and closer links with the whole world. China and the Chinese people love peace and value harmony. China is committed to the path of peaceful development and the independent foreign policy of peace.

The year of 2013 has been an unusual year in China's development. China's new central leadership has put forward the Chinese dream of realizing the great renewal of the Chinese nation. And it is leading the 1.3 billion Chinese people in an endeavor to fulfill two major goals, namely, to finish building a society of initial prosperity in all respects by 2020 and to turn China into a modern socialist country by the mid-21st century. We will continue to grow the economy, improve people’s living standards, uphold social justice, stay firm on the path of reform and opening-up. China has reached a new historical starting point today. The Chinese Dream, the dream of the country, the dream of the nation and the dream of the people will come true with our concerted efforts. The Chinese Dream will, in turn, benefit the whole world, in particular, the State of Israel.

What development path will China take in the future? What domestic and foreign policies will she pursue? And what kind of international role will she play? I know these questions are of great interest to you as well as to the international community. The answers are firm and clear. China pursues peaceful development and calls on all other countries to embark on the same path. Since the beginning of reform and opening up, China has become increasingly interdependent with the global economy and integrated into the international system. We are committed to working with all countries to establish a new type of international relations based on win-win cooperation and seek peaceful resolution of international and regional disputes.

China remains committed to reform, opening up and sustainable development. It has been five years since the outbreak of the global financial crisis. The world economy is sort of back on track to recovery, but the foundation of the recovery is not solid and the speed is still slow. Where the Chinese economy is heading is closely followed in both China and the world. Here, I would like to tell you that both the fundamentals and overall performance of China's economy are sound, and China's development prospects are bright. The leading indicators of the Chinese economy are generally good, and China leads the major economies in terms of growth rate.

The Chinese government has taken a macro-economic policy that addresses both immediate and long-term needs and adopted a series of innovative policy measures with a view to ensuring steady growth, adjusting economic structure and promoting reform. As China grows in economic output and changes its growth model, its economy has entered a phase of high-to-medium growth rate. This will ensure sustained and healthy growth of the Chinese economy. In the coming five years, China's imports of commodities will exceed US$10 trillion, its overseas investment will reach US$500 billion, and Chinese tourists will make over 400 million outbound visits. This will give stronger promotion to the world economy and bring more tangible benefits to other countries.

China will firmly fulfill its due international obligations and is responsible and ready to play its part. As the second biggest economy and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China is fully aware of its responsibilities and expectations placed on it by the international community. We will voice China's views, offer China's vision, propose China's solutions, play China's due role and provide more public goods to the international community. We will play a more proactive and constructive role in addressing international and regional hotspot issues to promote peace and dialogue, defuse conflicts and uphold peace and stability.

Ladies and gentlemen, Dear friends,

Last year, we just celebrated the 20th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and Israel. Our two countries always adhered to the right direction of China-Israel relations, though we encountered some ups and downs. We have entered into the third decade of the relations this year. Prime Minister Binjamin Netanyahu paid a successful visit to China last May and reached broad consensus with Chinese leaders. This is a good beginning and very important for the third decade of our relations.

Looking ahead, I firmly believe the third decade of China-Israel relations will be of great opportunities. We will broaden and deepen cooperation in all areas. The third decade of our relations will be of sound and steady development. Though we have differences in national conditions, development stage, social system, ideology and views on certain issues, our two governments share the same goal of enhancing friendship and mutual understanding, the same efforts to expand win-win cooperation and the same determination to push forward our relations. The third decade of our relations will be full of opportunities and excitement. China has already become Israel's third largest trading partner. With the east-oriented policy of Israeli Government, China-Israel relations will surely become more and more comprehensive, complementary, mutually beneficial and dynamic for the years to come. China would like as always to make joint and persistent efforts with the State of Israel to enhance our mutual respect and trust, explore the great potential of cooperation and steer the relations into an even greater and brighter future!

Dear friends,

Tonight, we have the pleasure of having the Chinese artists from Chengdu, Sichuan Province with us. They are going to present us with beautiful folk music and dances of different Chinese ethnic groups. Master Chefs from Chengdu are going to present us with superb and authentic Sichuan cuisines. I wish all of you have a fantastic evening. Please enjoy the evening.

In conclusion, I would like to propose a toast,

To the 64th National Day of the People's Republic of China,

To the peace and prosperity of China and Israel,

To the friendship between our two peoples,

To your good health and family happiness,

Le Haim! Toda Raba Shebatem!

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