(September 28, 2023)
Honourable Mr. Chow Kon Yeow, Chief Minister of Penang,
Yang Berhormat Mr. Loh Sze Yee, Representative of Menteri Besar of Perak,
Yang Berhormat Mr. Wong Chia Zhen, Representative of Menteri Besar of Kedah,
Members of the Parliament and State Legislative Assembly, Representatives from government departments, Leaders from political parties,
Leaders from the Chinese communities, representatives from media, cultural and educational institutions,
Consul Generals, Honorary Consuls, representatives of the Chinese-funded enterprises, Chinese students in the Consular District,
Dear guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening!
It is my great pleasure to gather with all of you here to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. On behalf of the Chinese Consulate General in Penang, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the guests!
Ladies and gentlemen,
2023 marks the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Over the past 74 years, the Chinese people have worked in endeavoring to accomplish remarkable development achievements. Especially since 2012, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China has focused on promoting high-quality development and realized the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects as planned. In the past ten years, the Chinese economy grew at 6.2% on average annually. Its share in global economic output increased from 11.3% in 2012 to about 18%. China’s trade in goods ranked the top in the world for six years in a row. On average, China’s contribution to global growth was over 30%. Now, the Chinese people have embarked on a new journey toward building a modern socialist country in all respects. We will forge ahead with enterprise and fortitude to advance the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization. China will continue to hold high the banner of peace, development and win-win cooperation, and will always be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a defender of the international order.
2023 marks the 45th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up. Over the past 45 years, China has been committed to high-level opening up and providing a world-class, market-oriented business environment governed by a sound legal framework. At the moment, global economic recovery has been sluggish, the spillover effects of contractionary policies adopted by major developed economies have become more evident, and various factors have caused more instability and uncertainty in the international market. China have withstood that pressure, steadily recovered and improved the scale and quality of the economy, and its economic performance has picked up on the whole. For the first half of this year, China’s GDP grew by 5.5 percent year-on-year, China’s total goods imports and exports reached a record high of RMB 20.1 trillion, foreign-invested companies increased by 24,000, and high-tech sectors attracted 7.9 percent more investment. According to recent IMF projections, China’s economy will expand 5.2 percent this year and is expected to contribute a third of global growth. China will take proactive and solid step to advance high-level opening-up and will remain a source of strength for world economic recovery and growth.
2023 marks the the 10th year of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Over the past decade, China has signed Belt and Road cooperation documents with more than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations. The BRI’s circle of friends has continued to expand; It has established more than 3,000 cooperation projects and galvanized nearly 1 trillion US Dollars of investment. Belt and Road cooperation has achieved fruitful outcomes; China has signed over 50 cooperation documents on ecological environmental protection with relevant parties and launched the Initiative for Belt and Road Partnership on Green Development with 31 countries. High quality Belt and Road cooperation has progressed in solid steps; From 2013 to 2022, the volume of trade in goods between China and countries along the “Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has increased from US $1.04 trillion to US $2.07 trillion, and the cumulative two-way investment exceeded 270 billion US Dollars; Peoples of the countries along the “Belt and Road Initiative (BRI）” have obtained tangible benefits. China will hold the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing in October this year. We will take the holding of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation as an opportunity to take stock of what we’ve achieved, chart the course for the future, and guide the continuous advancement of high-quality BRI cooperation.
2023 also marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Malaysia. Over the past decade, the two countries have maintained frequent high-level interactions, continued to deepen political mutual trust, and achieved fruitful outcomes in practical cooperation. In 2013, when President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Malaysia, the two sides established a comprehensive strategic partnership. This year, when Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim paid an official visit to China, the two sides reached an important consensus on jointly building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future. Afterwards, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, Mr. Zhao Leji, and Member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr. Wang Yi visited Malaysia successively to actively promote the implementation of the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries. Lately, Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim visited China again to attend the 20th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO). Chinese Premier Li Qiang held fruitful talks with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who witnessed the signing of 3 MOUs between Chinese and Malaysian enterprises totally valued at nearly 20 billion Ringgit investment. Today, the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat of Malaysia, Mr. Johari bin Abdul just concluded his visit to China. He attended the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Sept. 23. According to statistics, in first seven months this year, the bilateral trade volume between China and Malaysia has reached 106.68 billion US Dollars. Noting that the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation has yielded fruitful results, the construction of the East Coast Rail Link has exceeded 50 percent and the “Two Countries, Twin Parks” has achieved good economic and social effects, China and Malaysia enjoy broad prospects for practical cooperation.
Dear guests and friends,
Chinese Consulate General in Penang bears in mind of the four states of Northern Malaysia and strove for serving the overall bilateral relations between China and Malaysia. We worked closely with the governments, enterprises, media, and social organizations of the four states in the consular district, and made unremitting efforts to promote the development of relationship between the localities of China and Malaysia, and enhance mutual understanding and affinity between the people of the two countries. This year, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Xiamen-Penang Sister City Relationship. Penang Chief Minister Mr. Chow Kon Yeow led the delegation of the state government and the City Council of Penang Island to visit Xiamen and attended the 23rd China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT), giving rise to a new boom in local level exchanges between China and Malaysia. Nanning City of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Ipoh City of Perak officially established a sister city relationship in June this year, which further expands the circle of friends between localities of two countries. Since the beginning of this year, xFusion Digital Technologies Co., Ltd Global Supply Center was launched in Penang, Jinjing Silicon Technology Sdn. Bhd. silica sand mining investment project broke ground in Perak state, and EVE Energy Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. Was also successfully established in Kedah state. Northern Malaysian region has become a popular destination for Chinese enterprises to invest and develop their business. China Southern Airlines Guangzhou-Penang, AirAsia Hong Kong-Penang, Xiamen Airlines Xiamen-Penang， Batik Air Malaysia Guilin-Penang and other direct flights continue to resume. So, the people-to-people exchanges between China and Malaysia has become more convenient. Shen Jai Confucius Institute and the Confucius Institute at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) were successively established in Perak state this year. The traditional friendship between the two countries has been carried forward through the exchanges and mutual learning between young students. Chinese Consulate General in Penang successfully held the 3rd “My Love, My Connection between China and Malaysia” theme essay competition, implemented the 2nd “My Love, My Connection between China and Malaysia” Academic Aid Scholarship for the Success of Students, jointly organized “My Love, My Connection between China and Malaysia - Chinese Orchestra Grand Gathering in Penang” Performance Contest with the Penang state government. This glamorous name card of “My Love, My Connection between China and Malaysia” has nurtured deeper bonds between us, and our peoples have grown closer. On behalf of the Chinese Consulate General in Penang, I would like to take this opportunity to convey my heartfelt thanks to the governments and people from all walks of life of the four states in the consular district for their strong support for the work of Chinese Consulate General in Penang. Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia. We will take the anniversary as an opportunity to further promote the deepening of exchanges and cooperation in various fields between the localities of China and the consular district. We are also willing to give support to more meaningful activities and projects, and continue to write a new chapter of the development of local level relations between China and Malaysia.
All guests and friends,
Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn festival, which is the traditional Chinese festival. On this day, people admire the bright moon and eat delicious moon cakes, as the full moon symbolizing family reunion. Today, Chinese Consulate General specially prepared moon cakes for all the guests. Let’s celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day of the People’s Republic of China together!
Last but not least, I would like to thank all the guests again for attending this reception. Let’s wish the world enjoying peace and people of all countries live in happiness. I wish China and Malaysia both enjoying peace and prosperity, and the ever-lasting friendship! I wish everyone peace and happiness, and a happy reunion with their families under this full moon!
Thank you!