Bolster Cooperation, Overcome Difficulties,And Usher in a Brighter Shared Future

2021/09/30

<P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: arial" align=center>--Han Zhiqiang  Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of  the People's Republic of China to the Kingdom of Thailand</P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Today marks the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. I would like to share the joy of National Day with my friends and present my best wishes to the motherland.</P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">The past 72 years have witnessed China and the Chinese people, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), unremittingly forge ahead over hardships and accomplish one historic leap after another from standing up, to getting rich, and then to becoming strong. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC. We have successfully completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects on the vast land of China, historically solving the problem of absolute poverty. And we are vigorously embarking on the new journey of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects. The Chinese people, united in their hearts and firm in their convictions, stay committed to the leadership of the CPC and upholding socialism with Chinese characteristics. China's national rejuvenation has become a historical inevitability.</P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging worldwide. Combating the pandemic and restoring development are the top priorities for all countries. With coordinated efforts in the prevention and control of the pandemic and economic and social development, China has effectively controlled the disease and its economy has kept a stable growth. In the first half of this year, China's GDP grew by 12.7% and its foreign trade grew by 27.1%. The annual economic growth rate is expected to continue to outpace other major economies of the world. We will base ourselves on the new development stage, implement the new development philosophy, forge the new development paradigm, foster a new system for higher-level open economy, promote high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and achieve a higher level of mutual benefit and win-win results with all other countries around the world. </P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Confronting the epidemic, China has received support and help from many countries and has also done its best to make important contributions to the global fight against the pandemic. So far, China has provided the world with nearly 1.2 billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines, more than 320 billion masks, 3.9 billion protective gowns, and 5.6 billion testing kits. China's international anti-pandemic cooperation has won widespread praise from the people of the world, and the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind has become more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.</P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">The world today is undergoing significant and profound changes unseen in a century. Peace and development are facing new opportunities as well as new challenges. Besides the COVID-19 pandemic, some countries and regions are also suffering turbulence and insecurity. Meanwhile, global issues such as uneven development, the digital divide, and climate change are being increasingly presented before us. It is especially worthy of attention and vigilance that the cold war mentality, zero-sum game, power politics and other sediments keep emerging, which have seriously poisoned international relations and jeopardized world solidarity and progress. Despite various challenges, peace and development remain the overriding trends of the times and the aspirations of the people of the world. The international community should be more united, make concerted efforts to address global challenges, and jointly resist wrongdoings that run counter to peaceful development. The international community should maintain the international system with the UN at its core, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms of international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. The international community should foster a new type of international relations and forge a community with a shared future for mankind to jointly create a much better future.</P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">China and Thailand are geographically proximate and blood-lined good neighbors, good relatives, and good partners. The pandemic has testified our genuineness and togetherness in helping each other. China always remembers that when the pandemic broke out suddenly, Thailand took the lead in expressing its condolences and support to China and provided valuable anti-pandemic supplies. China has also gone all out to help Thailand in its fight against the pandemic. In February this year, despite of its severely short domestic supply, China was the first to provide Thailand with a large number of safe and efficient domestic vaccines, and focused on mitigating the impact of the pandemic on the economy by actively expanding imports from Thailand. China has provided Thailand with more than 40 million doses of vaccines. In the first half of the year, the bilateral trade volume bucked the trend and increased by 38%. Misfortune tests our friendship. The anti-pandemic cooperation between China and Thailand has further highlighted our genuineness and cordiality of sharing weal and woe.</P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">In overcoming the difficulties together, China-Thailand relations nurture infinite vigor. Under the new circumstances, China is willing to strengthen friendly cooperation with Thailand to further grow the China-Thailand comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to new heights. </P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">First, continuing to advance anti-pandemic cooperation. China will continue to provide Thailand with vaccines and other anti-pandemic materials according to Thai needs; support the cooperation of relevant institutions of the two countries in carrying out the production and development of vaccines and anti-pandemic medicine; deepen bilateral cooperation in infectious diseases prevention and control, diagnosis and treatment, and traditional medicine; maintain a good momentum of economic and trade cooperation and support Thailand in mitigating the impact of the pandemic on the Thai economy. </P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Second, further enhancing political mutual trust. The two sides should continue to respect each other's core interests and major concerns; continue to support each other in taking a development path that suits their own national conditions, maintaining national security, ensuring social stability, and achieving development and prosperity; maintain high-level exchanges and increase political guidance to continuously inject new impetus into the relationship between the two countries.</P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Third, deepening and expanding pragmatic cooperation. The two countries should make efforts to intensify the docking of the economic development strategies, elevate the level of development cooperation, speed up the construction of the China-Thailand railway, and strengthen cooperation in the fields of new agriculture, 5G communications, digital economy, and smart cities. </P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Fourth, vigorously promoting people-to-people friendship. Efforts should be made by our two countries in the overall consideration of pandemic prevention and control, and the steady advancement of people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, including the further intensification of friendly exchanges between the youth, to carry forward the China-Thailand traditional friendship. </P>
<P style="FONT-SIZE: 14px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Fifth, strengthening coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs. China actively supports Thailand in hosting next year's APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and relevant sessions. China is willing to work with Thailand for the improvement and upgrading of China-ASEAN relations, and for reconciliation in the UN and other multilateral organizations.</P>