Your Excellency Sheikh Maktoum Bin Butti Bin Suhail Al Maktoum,Director General of the Dubai office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of UAE,
Your Excellency Sheikh Majid Al Mualla,Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hala China,
Your Excellency Sheikh Juma Bin Ahmed Bin Juma Al Maktoum,Member of the ruling family,
Your Excellency Director Generals of Department of Dubai Government,
Your Excellency Deyab Al Rashidi Consul General of Kuwait, Dean of Consular Corps,
Your Excellencies, Consul Generals in Dubai,
Friends from all walk of life,
Good Evening!Masai Al Khail!Welcome you all to the Reception for the 71st Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China!
2020 is deemed to be a special year. The COVID-19 pandemic that has been going on for almost the whole year is affecting the whole world. However we believe, the history of 2020 should not be written by the pandemic, but by the people instead. We believe that it is the people who create the history. The heroic peoples of China and UAE, led by the leaders of our two countries, have passing the test of the most severe pandemic in a century. Facing difficulties, we have turned crises into opportunities, making new contributions not only to the health of mankind but also to the peace and stability of the world.
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, China immediately reported to WHO and the international community of this new virus. The Chinese government has responded to the disease in an open, transparent and efficient way based on the "people first, life first" principle. As a vanguard pioneer, China has made major achievements in accumulating valuable experiences and gaining precious time window for the whole world to fight against this new virus. We sincerely shared our experience in prevention, control and treatment, and carried out the largest humanitarian operation for emergency in the history. China has provided 50 million USD cash to the WHO and will provide another 50 million USD to support the United Nations Global Humanitarian Response Plan. We have sent 34 medical teams to 32 countries, and provided emergency support to more than 150 countries and international organizations.
Ladies and gentlemen,
His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, made phone conversations with H.E. President Xi Jinping at the very beginning of the outbreak and provided strong support to China. Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, lit up to support Wuhan and China. The Phase III trials of the world's first inactivated COVID-19 vaccine jointly conducted by China and UAE have been progressing smoothly. Now the UAE has approved the use of the vaccine.
The UAE efforts fighting against the pandemic have also made great progress. Its testing rate and cure rate are among the highest in the world. Further more, UAE has provided 1,471 tons of medical supplies to 118 countries and regions. The Chinese Consulate in Dubai lead the Chinese community to support the prevention and control measures taken by UAE and Dubai governments. The Chinese Consulate mobilized the Chinese enterprises, local Chinese organizations, and Chinese students to establish a Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism to combat COVID-19. We connected health institutions in China, Dubai and other places by holding online conferences on pandemic prevention and control. We also hold seminars on resumption of work and production, which has made China's contribution to the economic recovery of UAE.
The world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic as it goes through profound changes never seen in a century. Yet, peace and development remain the current trend, and people everywhere crave even more strongly for peace, development and win-win cooperation. COVID-19 reminds us that we are living in an interconnected global village with a common stake. All countries are closely connected and we share a common future. This is why we should embrace the vision of a community with a shared future in which everyone is bound together. We should see each other as members of the same family, pursue win-win cooperation, and respect a country's independent choice of development path. The world is diverse in nature, and we should turn this diversity into a constant source of inspiration driving human advancement.Accordingly, human civilizations will remain colorful and diversified.
Ladies and gentlemen,
2020 marks the 71st anniversary of the founding of People's Republic of China. With 71 years of hard work, China has developed into the second largest economy and the largest manufacturing country in the world. Chinese per capital GDP has increased from less than 120 RMB in 1949 to more than 70,000 RMB in 2019. Eliminating rural poverty will be realized this year, and the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals will be achieved 10 years ahead of schedule. 1.4 billion Chinese people have crossed the povertyline and entered a well-off society, and China will achieve the first Centenary Goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects as scheduled.
In 2020, China has balanced the prevention and control of the COVID-19 and economic and social development. From January to August, China grow in exports, industrial added value, consumption, investment, and many other major indicators. When the whole world is affected by the pandemic, China's economy has grown against the challenging situation and delivered a remarkable result. China will be the only country among G20 that can achieve positive growth in 2020. China is advancing a domestic and international development pattern in which domestic economic cycle plays a leading role while international economic cycle remains its extension and supplement. Through enhancing new infrastructure such as artificial intelligence, industrial Internet and the Internet of Things. Meanwhile, China is developing strategically important emerging industries such as digital economy, health care, and new materials. We would like to assure you that, China will continue to provide broader markets and more opportunities for UAE and countries around the world.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Both Chinese people and UAE people are great nations that strive to create and realize their dreams. The development concepts of the two countries are consistent. The Chinese Dream of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the UAE Centennial 2071 Plan are aligned in various respects. UAE has the deepest, widest, and most fruitful cooperation with China among the region. We are currently in the golden age of the 100-year road map outlined by the leaders of both countries.
At the beginning of this year, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, the ruler of Dubai, participated in the Grand Parade at the City Walk in Dubai organized by the Chinese Consulate to celebrate the 2020 Chinese New Year. By this, His Highness appreciating Chinese culture with local Chinese community and expressing new year greetings to 1.4 billion Chinese people. The Chinese School Dubai which has celebrated its grand opening ceremony recently is the first full-time school successfully established abroad by the Chinese government. This is an important achievement in implementing the consensus of the leaders of China and UAE to strengthen cultural and educational exchanges. This will help attract more Chinese talents to start businesses in Dubai and contribute more Chinese investment to the development of Dubai.
Ladies and gentlemen,
COVID-19 changed the world. We are entering into a new era, which is the new version of digital and upgraded globalization. Next year, we will meet the Dubai World Expo and UAE's 50th anniversary. In the same year, the Emirates Mars Mission and the Chinese Tianwen-1 will meet on Mars. UAE and Dubai governments vigorously promote the Fourth Industrial Revolution featuring technologies and digital transformation. China and UAE have great potential to expand cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, smart cities, clean energy, food security, etc. There will also be new opportunities for cooperation in traditional fields such as trade, tourism, and culture. Chinese Consulate in Dubai is willing to work with Dubai and the Northern Emirates to promote tangible cooperation between China and UAE in various fields. Let us work together to make new contributions to a higher level of China-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership!
Long live China and UAE, long live the friendship between UAE and China!