Your Excellency Mr. Wang Yubo, Governor of Yunnan Province,
Your Excellency Mr. Wu Jianghao, Assistant Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China,
Friends from South Asian countries,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon

At the Opening Ceremony of the 3rd China-South Asia Cooperation Forum, on behalf of CPAFFC, I would like to extend my warm congratulations on the convening of this forum!

Connected by mountains and rivers, facing each other across the sea and land, China and South Asian countries are both friendly neighbors living in harmony and partners collaborating for common development. From the ancient Silk Road lingering with sound of camel bells to the Belt and Road Initiative, friendly exchanges and cooperation has always been the main theme between China and South Asian countries. In recent years, guided by the leaders of China and South Asian countries, the bilateral cooperation mechanism has been constantly improved, with more diverse participants and more fruitful results. We are pleased to see that, since its establishment, China-South Asia Cooperation Forum has been committed to building a platform for policy dialogue, economic and trade investment, people-to-people and cultural exchanges and knowledge sharing between China and South Asian countries, creating new conditions for local exchanges and making solid progress in all-round cooperation between China and South Asian countries.

Dear friends,

China and South Asian countries are both developing countries, we all shoulder the common tasks of economic development and improving people’s living standards. In this era of both challenge and hopes, we should work hand in hand and strengthen cooperation, to promote regional common development and build Asia into our beautiful homeland.

We should share the experience in poverty alleviation and development. By the end of 2020, China had completed the arduous task of eradicating absolute poverty, and achieved the poverty reduction goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule, providing practical reference for the global cause of poverty reduction.    The Global Development Initiative, proposed by President Xi Jinping, enlisted poverty alleviation as one of the key areas, which will surely encourage China and other developing countries to strengthen unity, cooperation and jointly achieve sustainable development. Last year, China-South Asian Countries Poverty Alleviation and Cooperative Development Center initiated by China was officially opened, which is a concrete practice of China’s contribution and responsibility to global poverty reduction cause. CPAFFC stands ready to mobilize more social resources, to jointly deepen poverty reduction and development cooperation between China and South Asian countries, and to persistently improve the well-being of the people of both sides. We should deepen cooperation in infrastructure construction. Infrastructure construction is the essential precondition for the improvement of people’s livelihood. In recent years, under the guidance of the Belt and Road Initiative, China and South Asian countries have deepened cooperation in promoting infrastructure connectivity and cooperation such as roads, railways and ports, achieving fruitful results. South Asian countries are abundant in agricultural resources, so there are great potential for complementary cooperation in construction and investment in agricultural infrastructure. Let’s work together to accelerate the pace of rural infrastructure construction, upgrade agricultural facilities and improve agricultural productivity in South Asian countries, thus to promote the transformation and upgrading of the agricultural industries in South Asian countries.

We should strengthen cooperation in scientific and technological innovation. The digital economy, green development and the new business formats and models spawned by the epidemic have brought new opportunities for the leapfrog development of developing countries. China has always actively promoted scientific and technological innovation as a priority issue in multilateral cooperation and promoted the implementation of the sustainable development agenda. We should focus on academic exchanges, human resource development, R&D centers and think tanks construction, cultivate new drivers of economic growth through scientific and technological innovation cooperation, improve the level of modern governance, to create a better life for the people and jointly promote the noble cause of peace and development of mankind.

Dear friends,

Last month, the 20th National Congress of the CPC concluded successfully. The Congress stressed that China will firmly adhere to the fundamental national policy of opening to the outside world and pursue a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up, to create new opportunities for the world with its own development. It will strive to enhance friendly ties, mutual trust and converging interest with its neighboring countries, strengthen solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries and safeguard the common interests of the developing world. This shows that China will firmly support and help the developing countries, including South Asian countries, to accelerate mutual development, and benefit more people in a fairer manner.

Planning and carrying on win-win cooperation in the new era to benefit the people of both sides are common aspiration of China and South Asian countries. As a national people’s organization engaged in people-to-people diplomacy in China, CPAFFC stands ready to improve the traditional friendship and promote all-round pragmatic and mutually beneficial cooperation through sister-cities, friendship associations, friendship organizations, and friendly personage between China and South Asia. Let’s join hands to create a bright future for the cooperation between China and South Asia.

Thank you!