China's good neighborliness and friendship with surrounding countries continued to deepen. We are committed to fostering friendship and partnership with neighboring countries and work actively to maintain close high-level contacts, facilitate trade and investment cooperation, conduct cultural and people-to-people exchanges and steadily promote political trust and win-win cooperation. In 2010, as its trade with other Asian countries reached $931.6 billion, China became the biggest trading partner and export market for many countries in this part of the world. In the coming months, President Hu Jintao will attend the tenth anniversary summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and Premier Wen Jiabao will attend the East Asia Leaders' Meetings and other multilateral events, and visit Indonesia and Malaysia soon. This year marks the 60th, 50th and 20th anniversary of establishment of China's diplomatic ties with Pakistan, the Laos and Brunei respectively and the 20th anniversary of our dialogue relations with ASEAN. This year is also the China-ASEAN Friendship and Exchange Year and the China-India Year of Exchange. We will work with all relevant parties to ensure the success of all these events and foster a regional environment of peace, stability, openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation. Recently, the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference marking the tenth anniversary of the forum was held in Hainan. Under the theme of "Inclusive Development", the conference played a positive role in facilitating exchanges, dialogue and economic cooperation between all sides. We have actively engaged in disaster relief cooperation with surrounding countries. In the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the Chinese Government and people expressed deep sympathies and extended assistance. President Hu Jintao personally went to the Japanese Embassy in China to express condolences. We hope that the Japanese people in the disaster zone will recover from the disaster and rebuild their homes as soon as possible.

Relations between China and other countries and regions made new headway. CPPCC Chairman Jia Qinglin paid a successful visit to Australia, Samoa and Myanmar, which deepened dialogue and cooperation between China and those countries in the political field, business and trade, energy and resources, and people-to-people and cultural exchanges. NPC Chairman Wu Bangguo will visit South Africa, Angola, Namibia and the Maldives to promote continued growth of China's practical cooperation with Asian and African countries, and inter-parliamentary exchanges. A few days ago, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and South African President Jacob Zuma attended the BRICS Leaders Meeting in China. Chinese leaders had in-depth exchanges of views and reached important agreements with them on further developing bilateral relations and cooperation in all fields.

Cooperation between China and international organizations moved to a new level. We hold that the United Nations, as the most universal, representative and authoritative inter-governmental organization in the world, should always play a central role in international affairs. We support a bigger role for the G20 Summit in global economic governance and support France in making good preparations for the upcoming Cannes Summit. The success of the just-concluded BRICS Leaders Meeting has made the mechanism a platform for South-South cooperation and a bridge for North-South cooperation and sent a message of "confidence, solidarity, cooperation and win-win results" to the international community.

In recent years, we took a number of emergency actions to protect our citizens abroad. The recent evacuation of stranded Chinese citizens in Libya is the largest action of its kind since the founding of the People's Republic. Both the number of people evacuated and the complexity of the situation on the ground were unprecedented. The well-organized evacuation has demonstrated the Chinese Government's vision of "putting people first and governing for the people", and its efficiency in emergency response. Meanwhile, the operation would not have been possible without the support and cooperation of many countries and the generous assistance of local companies and overseas Chinese. Once again I wish to express our deepest appreciation on behalf of the Chinese Government.

Distinguished guests,

This year marks the beginning of the implementation of the 12th Five-Year Plan for China's economic and social development and a critical juncture in the course of China's peaceful development. The effective implementation of the program is not only important for China's future development. It will also have a far-reaching impact on the development of the world economy.

The 12th Five-Year Plan has established the guiding principle, strategic objectives and major tasks for China's economic and social development in the next five years. We will pursue scientific development, focus on faster transformation of economic development pattern, accelerate economic restructuring, step up innovation, conserve energy, reduce emissions, broaden mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries, and explore new frontiers of opening-up. As it works to achieve the goals of the 12th Five-Year Plan, China will generate huge investment and consumer demand and create new opportunities for economic, scientific and technological, and cultural cooperation between China and other countries. Entrepreneurs present today will also find more business opportunities in this process. China's diplomacy will continue to rely on, serve and promote development. Good bilateral relationship catalyses economic cooperation. We will help "bring in" overseas companies and encourage Chinese companies to "go global". We will serve as a bridge between Chinese and foreign companies, and facilitate their win-win cooperation.

Distinguished guests,

Over the years, many senior diplomats of the Association of Former Diplomats of China have been active practitioners of public diplomacy and important facilitators in exchanges with foreign countries and domestic economic development. They have dedicated themselves to China's diplomacy and modernization drive. I wish to express warm congratulations on the remarkable achievements the association has made and sincere thanks to all the entrepreneurs who have worked so hard for the friendly exchanges and win-win cooperation between China and other countries. I hope and believe that you will build on past achievements and contribute to greater mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese people and people of the world, mutually beneficial cooperation between China and other countries, and harmony and common development in the world.

Thank you.

(Source: www.fmprc.gov.cn)