By Mewati Sitaram
The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Mumbai marked the 76th National Day with a grand reception attended by diplomats, government officials, business leaders, and members of the cultural community. On this occasion, the Consul General of China in Mumbai His Excellency Qin Jie, delivered a keynote address, reflecting on the significance of the day, outlining China’s vision for global cooperation, and emphasizing the growing partnership and shared aspirations between China and India.
Following is the full text of the Consul General’s speech:
Distinguished Ms. Manisha Mhaiskar, Hon’ble Chief Protocol Officer of Government of Maharashtra,
Excellencies,
Dear friends, Ladies and gentlemen,
Namaste! It is a true pleasure to have you all here to celebrate the National Day of China. First of all, on behalf of my colleagues, I would like to thank our Indian friends and friends from the consular corps for your long-time support to our work. Meanwhile, I would like to send my best wishes to all Chinese compatriots in Maharashtra and Karnataka “国庆节快乐！”
The year 2025 is of great significance. It marks the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Under the strong leadership of the CPC, we will conclude the 14th Five-Year Plan this year. Despite various challenges and difficulties, China’s economy expanded at an average annual growth of 5.5% and the annual urban job creation stood at more than 12 million over the past four years. China’s total R&D expenditure surged nearly 50% and our comprehensive innovation capability rose steadily. As a global leader in green transition, China is home to about 2/3 of the world’s solar and wind power projects under construction. Over 50% of the world’s electric vehicles are in China. China’s forest coverage has jumped from 12% to more than 25% in the past four decades. More importantly, China has lifted 800 million people out of poverty and realized the UN’s SDG in advance. China’s experience in fighting poverty, especially the region-specific, demand-oriented, targeted and dynamic approach, and systemic support in poverty alleviation offers reference for fellow Global South countries. You may wonder what are the secrets behind China’s achievements. I would say that the top secret hinges on the leadership of the CPC and concerted efforts of the Chinese people. As you know, the CPC is Chinese people’s party. To serve the people more effectively, a top-down anti-corruption campaign has been going on for more than 10 years. The rigorous self-demand, self-reform and self-improvement of the CPC has promoted administrative efficiency, built clean governments at various levels, and won enormous and genuine support of the Chinese people.
Dear friends,
This year also marks the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. With huge national sacrifice, the Chinese people made major contributions to saving human civilization and safeguarding world peace. History is a mirror. It cautions us that humanity rises and falls together. Only when all countries and nations stand together can we uphold common security, eradicate the root cause of war and prevent the recurrence of historical tragedies.
In the light of the 75th anniversary of China-India diplomatic relations, this year has also seen significant improvements in our bilateral communication and cooperation. At the SCO Tianjin Summit, President Xi Jinping had a very successful meeting with PM Modi. Both leaders agree that it is the right choice for China and India to be good-neighborly friends and partners that help each other succeed, and have the dragon and the elephant dance together. We are glad to see a new chapter of our relations being written by both countries with joined hands.
Of course, the highlight of the Tianjin Summit is the Global Governance Initiative raised by President Xi. Facing a world in which deficits in peace, development, security, and trust are deepening, the Global Governance Initiative, together with other global initiatives, provides China’s answer. The GGI outlines five core principles: adhering to sovereign equality, abiding by international rule of law, practicing multilateralism, advocating the people-centered approach, and focusing on taking concrete actions. As two great countries, China and India should step up to shoulder our responsibility for improving global governance, upholding multilateralism, strengthening communication and coordination on major international and regional issues, and defending international fairness and justice. We should follow the strategic guidance of our two leaders and promote the solidarity and prosperity of developing countries.
Dear friends,
At this important time juncture, I feel greatly honored to represent my country to work in amazing Mumbai. My wife and I arrived in Mumbai on the Independence Day of India. We have spent some time exploring the city and we have been so fascinated by the treasure of its history and the vibe of its modernity. We tasted the local food like Samosa and Pani Puri and already made some friends here. Ten days ago, I was invited by India-China Friendship Association to inaugurate a science exhibition at Eden High School & Jr. College. I was impressed by the students’ brilliant ideas and broad visions. They showed their creative designs on clean energy, environmental protection, green agriculture and so on. I can see their dreams to make this world a better place and I believe their dreams shall be what we strive for.
Indeed, throughout the long history of our great civilizations, there have been far more similarities than differences: our huge population, indigenous people, emerging economies, centenary goals of modernization, etc. We are both old and new, traditional and modern, innovative and independent. To quote Tagore, in our awakening, “there are both miracles of new life and miracles of the past”. Looking back and looking forward, peace and development are our top priority. Cooperation and communication are imperative rather than optional for each other. I believe our historical wisdom, and spirit of inclusiveness will help us steer towards a bright future of common prosperity.
Dear friends,
As of now, our Consulate General has already issued over 80,000 visas to our Indian friends this year, surpassing the total amount of last year. We expect the number to exceed 1 lakh this year. These figures demonstrate the huge potential in people-to-people exchange between us. As China is opening up wider and wider to the world, there is growing interest among Chinese people in knowing more and deeper about India. In many ways, India holds special appeal to people in China, the Buddhist culture, the Indian movies, music and dance, the historical relics and so on. I look forward to smoother and easier two-way exchanges in the near future.
I know our Indian friends are celebrating another amazing festival, Navratri. It’s a festival seen as a journey from darkness to light, from confusion to clarity, and from scarcity to abundance. I wish you all a very happy Navratri and Dussehra with blessings of Goddess Durga. Coincidentally, the Chinese traditional festival 中秋节 or Mid-Autumn festival is also around the corner. This festival symbolizes family reunion, harvest and expectation for a happy life. I wish all Chinese compatriots a happy family reunion with your loved ones. And I hope our sisters and brothers across the Taiwan Strait will achieve reunification at an early date. We wish our Taiwan compatriots a speedy recovery from Typhoon Ragasa.
Lastly, let me wish you great health and happiness! Please enjoy the night!
Thank you. Bahut Dhanyavaad!
Editor in Chief : Mewati SItaram
