Celebrating the 75^th Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China

By China’s Ambassador to Jamaica Chen Daojiang

This October 1 will mark the 75^th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. In the past 75 years, the Communist Party of China(CPC) has adapted the fundamental tenets of Marxism to China’s realities and its fine traditional culture, and has since led the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in forging ahead persistently.

The Chinese people have won the victory of the revolution, carried forward the policy of reform and opening up, and are now embarking on a new journey of building China into a modern socialist country in all respects.

China has developed from a state of weakness and poverty to strength and moderate prosperity, creating the miracles of rapid economic growth and enduring social stability. The Chinese nation has achieved the tremendous transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong.

Remarkable achievements have already been made in the past 75 years and there are full of opportunities in the new era. The Chinese people today are spiritedly marching towards the glorious dream of building a great country and rejuvenating the nation.

A clarion is sounded for further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization. The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee successfully concluded in July, Setting a new milestone for China’s reform and opening up.

The session passed Resolution of the Central Committee of CPC on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization, which further indicates the great significance and general requirements of further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization.

With a view to achieving the goal of basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035, the resolution includes more than 300 major reform measures, drawing a grand blueprint of further deepening reform comprehensively.

Standing on a new historic point, Chinese people will continue to hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, actively participate in the flourishing practice of Chinese-style modernization, strive for the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and create one development miracle after another.

China continues to promote high-quality development. There is a surge of uncertainties and difficulties in the world, and the temporary pain of China’s domestic structural reshaping has emerged.

Against the complicated backdrop, the national economy was generally stable with steady progress, featuring increase of production, accelerated growth of new driving forces and new achievements of the high-quality development.

The gross domestic product (GDP) in the first half of 2024 reached 8.7 trillion US dollars, up by 5.0 percent year on year.

The foreign reserve of China was at a stable level of more than 3.2 trillion US dollars. Power generation of the industries over a designated size grew by 13.4% and the energy consumption per unit GDP continued to decrease.

Our industry becomes greener and more innovative. Big data and AI are generating new consumption.

The online goods sales increased by 8.8%, and more than 80 billion express deliveries have been conducted. The output of new smart and green products, such as integrated circuits, service robots, electronic vehicles and solar panels, grew at a double-digit pace, accumulating strong impetus for high-quality economic development.

China continues to advance high-level opening-up. Facing the rising anti-globalization, unilateralism and protectionism, China stands on the right side of history, insists on expanding high-level opening-up, and makes China’s large market a great opportunity for the world.

In first 7 months of this year, China’s foreign trade in goods stood at 3.5 trillion US dollars, expanded by 6.2% year on year. 31,654 foreign-invested enterprises were established, up by 11.4%.

China has introduced a series of new measures to facilitate the entry of foreigners, which have achieved very good results. In the first half of this year, 14.635 million foreigners entered China, with an increase of 152.7%.

A confident and open China has shown strong appeal, and continues to be an important engine and stabilizing force for world economic growth, promoting economic globalization in a more open, inclusive, universally beneficial and balanced direction.

China continues to shoulder its responsibility as a major country. China adheres to its independent foreign policy of peace, uphold the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, champion the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and safeguard the common legitimate rights and interests of the Global South including Jamaica.

China works hand in hand with other countries to implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative, jointly promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and lead a new international trend of jointly seeking development, building security, and promoting civilization.

China calls for an equal and orderly multipolar world and universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and promotes the reform and improvement of the global governance.

This year, China invited senior representatives of different Palestinian factions to reconciliation talks in Beijing. China and Brazil adopted a six-point consensus on a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

The 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was successfully held. Looking ahead, China will continue to work with other countries to promote the community with a shared future for mankind, go along with the Global South to shoulder its responsibility for world peace and common development, and strive to create a better future for human society.

Chinese people believe that only heart-to-heart exchanges can last long. The friendship between China and Jamaica defies mountains and seas and is passed on from one generation to another. Our peoples are closely connected regardless of time and space.

Under our leaders’ strategic guidance, China-Jamaica relations have been developing steadily and the friendship has been profound and solid during the past nearly 52 years since establishing the diplomatic relation, no matter how the international situation changes.

In recent years, China and Jamaica have continuously enhanced mutual trust, expanded cooperation and deepened friendship, fully demonstrating the firm will of the two governments and peoples to work hand in hand and back each other amid global changes not seen in a century.

The political mutual trust continues to deepen. Under the joint leadership of President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Holness, our bilateral political mutual trust has been continuously strengthened and consolidated, setting a paradigm of friendly interactions among developing countries. We have always understood and supported each other in respective core interests and major concerns on many multilateral occasions.

China appreciates the Jamaican Government’s unwavering adherence to the one-China principle. The high-ranking officials of both countries have maintained intensive communication.

Early this year, H.E. Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese Foreign Minister, successfully visited Jamaica and reached remarkable consensuses with Prime Minister Holness and Foreign Minister Johnson-Smith, resulting in a new strong note on the development of our bilateral relations.

The pragmatic cooperation thrives. The bilateral economic and trade cooperation between China and Jamaica has rapidly developed, and the high-quality Belt and Road cooperation has yielded fruitful results.

Chinese companies have invested more than 2.1 billion US dollars in Jamaica so far, directly creating 40,000-strong local jobs. Flagship projects tightly related to the economy and people’s livelihoods, such as the Western Children’s Hospital and the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project, are progressing properly.

In April, a high-level delegation from China’s Gansu Province visited Jamaica, effectively strengthening our cooperation in areas of agriculture, fishery and mining. In May, the Embassy held the China-Jamaica Business Dialogue.

In August, a high-level delegation from China’s Shandong Province visited Jamaica and held the China (Shandong)-Jamaica Cooperation Roundtable, during which the two sides explored and identified plenty of ideas on further cooperation.

The people-to-people exchanges get ever closer. Human beings are the central entities in the world. Comprehensive and close people-to-people exchanges provide a deep foundation of public opinion and the spiritual nourishment for China-Jamaica relations. In 2024, China-Jamaica sports cooperation has officially resumed.

China organized various training courses that benefited hundreds of Jamaicans from all walks of life. China provided emergency financial support for the local reconstruction after Hurricane Beryl. I have visited the most affected areas and donated much-needed relief supplies.

I invited teachers and students from Jamaican primary schools to visit the Embassy and experience Chinese culture by their own eyes and hands.

The Embassy granted Earnest Institute For the Gifted, Hyperactive and Talented the first title of “Family of China-Jamaica Friendship”, and will later present the “China-Jamaica Friendship Award” for the first time to recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to the China-Jamaica friendship.

More professional teachers will come to Jamaica to teach Chinese. The Embassy just launched the first “Chinese Culture Festival” and a series of colorful activities enabled many Jamaican friends to experience the everlasting charm of Chinese culture in person.

No matter from east or west, Chinese and Jamaicans are all doing their best. Looking back on history, at each and every key stage in the development of China-Jamaica relations, both sides have been able to look far ahead, find new opportunities of cooperation, and advance new leaps forward.

At present, the development of both China and Jamaica have reached critical points, and our bilateral cooperation faces new historical opportunities.

China is willing to unwaveringly work with Jamaica to advance bilateral relations from a global and long-term perspective, deepen mutual trust through high-level exchanges, respond to global challenges through high-quality cooperation, and push our strategic partnership to a new level, better benefiting our peoples.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of International Seabed Authority(ISA). Over the past 30 years, with the host support of Jamaica and the joint efforts of all members, ISA and the international seabed affairs have developed successfully.

The “common heritage of mankind” principle has gradually progressed from concept to reality, and the vitality of the Convention has been significantly enhanced.

Upholding the idea of the community with a shared future for mankind, China will continue to actively participate in the drafting of exploitation regulations with all parties, support developing countries in improving their deep-sea capabilities, and make greater contributions to the progress of international seabed affairs, to the promotion of sustainable development of the oceans, and to the enhancement of common interests and well-being of all mankind.

This year also marks the 170th anniversary of Chinese arrival in Jamaica. Over the past 170 years, the Chinese here have always cared about our two countries, and made great contributions to deepening the friendship, enhancing exchanges and mutual learning, and promoting the development of our bilateral relations.

The concerns of the Chinese in Jamaica have always been the concerns of our Embassy.

This year, the Embassy has further improved our consular service by simplifying procedures, reducing costs, and working in more outposts. In the future, we are going to keep exploring opportunities to improve ourselves and implementing people-centered diplomacy.

We have traveled far with a lot of achievements but a better future is yet to come. In the turbulent international environment, China’s determination to follow the path of peaceful development, to cooperate with other countries in a friendly manner, and to promote the common global development will never change.

The China-Jamaica relation is originated in traditional friendship, demonstrated by win-win cooperation, and strengthened by keeping pace with the times.

China is willing to take the chance of the 5^th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Jamaica strategic partnership to maintain close exchanges with Jamaica in various fields, continuously deepen the friendship, and undertake the mission entrusted by the time.

To further strengthen the strategic docking and common development, we very much look forward to seeing Jamaica to join the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative in near future.

Working together, we could be the stabilizing force for maintaining peace, the backbone of open development, the building force of global governance, and the promoting force for mutual learning among civilizations.

In this way, we will make our new contributions to the building of the community with a shared future for mankind and the creation of a better future for the whole world.