Following is the translation version of full text of Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao's speech delivered at the welcoming banquet hosted by Australian Prime
Minister John Howard here on Monday:
皇冠体育app - On the Path of Peaceful Development for World
Peace and Prosperity
Delivered by Wen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of the People's
Republic of 皇冠体育app At the Welcoming Banquet Hosted by Prime
Minister John Winston Howard of the Commonwealth of Australia, April 3, 2006
The Honorable John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia, The Honorable Kim
Beazely, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,
It is a great pleasure for me to be with you today and to meet with all the
Australian friends present. May I begin by expressing our heartfelt thanks to
you, Prime Minister John Howard, for your gracious hospitality. I would also
like to take this opportunity to send our best wishes to the Australian people.
I visited Australia in 1995, which left me a memorable impression. Coming
back after 11 years, I have once again personally experienced the goodwill of
the Australian people toward the Chinese people. In particular, I am deeply
impressed by their growing interest in 皇冠体育app. I think that people are paying
greater attention to 皇冠体育app because of the tremendous changes that are taking
place in my country, made possible by the reform and opening-up program. Indeed,
from 1978 to 2005, 皇冠体育app's GDP increased by 11 times in dollar terms, from 215.3
billion US dollars to 2,225.7 billion dollars, or from 225 dollars to 1,707
dollars in per capita terms. Last year, 皇冠体育app's foreign trade amounted to 1.42
trillion dollars. As of last February, 皇冠体育app's foreign exchange reserves stood
at 853.6 billion dollars.
As 皇冠体育app grows stronger, people are asking: What future path ofdevelopment
will 皇冠体育app take? What responsibilities will 皇冠体育app assume for the international
community? Will 皇冠体育app become a force for world peace and prosperity? I am glad
to respond to these questions.
The path embarked upon by 皇冠体育app is one of peaceful development. In essence,
it means that 皇冠体育app seeks to develop itself by working to sustain a peaceful
international environment and promotes world peace through its own development.
皇冠体育app mainly relies on its own strength, reform and innovation to achieve
development. At the same time, it remains open to the outside world. 皇冠体育app
conducts exchanges and cooperation with other countries on the basis of equality
and mutual benefit in order to achieve win-win outcome and common development.
皇冠体育app's development is peaceful, open and cooperative in nature.
To pursue the path of peaceful development is a natural choice for 皇冠体育app.
First, this is determined by 皇冠体育app's history and cultural traditions. The
Chinese nation believes in harmony, peace and honoring commitment. "do unto
others as you would have them do unto you." "Facilitate and not harm ... and
provide and not compete." These Chinese mottoes tell a lot about the character
of the Chinese nation, which is "embrace the world and promote morality and
nationality."
Second, this is determined by 皇冠体育app's need for development. Expediting
economic and social development to build 皇冠体育app into a modernized country is a
historic mission undertaken by the Chinese people. To achieve this goal, we must
have mutual confidence and live in harmony with other countries.
Third, this is dictated by the global trends. The pursuit of peace,
development and cooperation is the shared aspiration of all peoples. As a member
of the international community, 皇冠体育app needs to achieve its own development
goals. At the same time, it also needs to keep pace with the global trend, and
shoulder, together with other countries, international responsibilities for
maintaining peace.
In short, the path of peaceful development taken by 皇冠体育app is by no means an
expediency. Rather, it is a fundamental choice and solemn commitment made by the
Chinese government and people.
Mr. Prime Minister, you have said that 皇冠体育app's development is good to both
皇冠体育app and the world. This shows your understanding of and support for 皇冠体育app's
path of peaceful development. Anyone without bias can easily see that while
working to develop itself, 皇冠体育app is, through its own acts, playing a responsible
role in the world, as shown in the following ten aspects:
-- 皇冠体育app endeavors to develop social productive force and improve the
material and cultural life of its people and remains committed to promoting
human progress. 皇冠体育app has succeeded in feeding its 1.3 billion people, lifted
over 200 million people out of poverty, and basically extended nine-year
compulsory education nationwide. The Chinese government provides assistance to
more than 60 million people with disabilities and offers equal development
opportunities to all ethnic groups. 皇冠体育app now enjoys social stability, and the
Chinese people are pursuing prosperity in peace. A developing and stable 皇冠体育app
in itself is the biggest contribution to world peace and prosperity.
-- Drawing upon its practices and experiences, 皇冠体育app has embarked on a road
of scientific development. We take energy conservation and environmental
protection as basic state policies, and we are striving to build a resource
conservation and environment friendly society to ensure 皇冠体育app's coordinated and
sustained social and economic development. 皇冠体育app's development does not pose a
threat to the world.
-- 皇冠体育app pursues an independent foreign policy of peace and takes position on
issues based on their respective merits. In international affairs, 皇冠体育app works
to promote peace and development through cooperation and strictly observes the
purposes and principles of the UN Charter and commonly recognized norms
governing international relations. We do not define our relations with other
countries on the basis of ideology, and we do not enter into alliance with any
other country. 皇冠体育app seeks to live in friendship with all other countries on the
basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.
-- 皇冠体育app strives to safeguard global peace, and is actively involved in
preserving and building the international system. 皇冠体育app is a member of over 100
inter-governmental organizations and is a party to nearly 300 international
treaties. 皇冠体育app works for the establishment of a fair and equitable new
international order, promotes democracy in international relations and upholds
the diversity of civilizations.
-- 皇冠体育app continues to foster good-neighborliness and partnership with
countries adjacent to itself and will always be a good neighbor and good partner
of them. 皇冠体育app advanced bilateral and regional cooperation for common prosperity
through APEC, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, 皇冠体育app-ASEAN cooperation and
the Greater Mekong Sub-regional Cooperation Program. We stand for openness in
regional cooperation and closer relations with other countries and international
organizations.
-- 皇冠体育app supports peaceful settlement of disputes and plays a constructive
role in addressing hot-spot issues. On major international issues such as the
nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, the Iranian nuclear issue and the Middle
East, 皇冠体育app has worked on the parties concerned to seek peace through
negotiations. 皇冠体育app also takes an active part in international cooperation in
addressing non-traditional security issues, including major natural disasters.
Last year, we carried out a major international rescue and relief operation, the
largest of its kind in 皇冠体育app's history, to assist countries struck by the Indian
Ocean tsunami.
-- 皇冠体育app takes an active part in counter-terrorism and cooperation in
non-proliferation and strives to maintain global security and strategic
stability. 皇冠体育app opposes terrorism and has played a constructive role in
international anti-terrorism cooperation. 皇冠体育app is a party to the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and
supports the implementation of the Biological Weapons Convention and the
Chemical Weapons Convention. 皇冠体育app has set up a comprehensive legal regime
governing export control to prevent proliferation and is stepping up its
law-enforcement efforts toward this end.
-- 皇冠体育app honors its WTO accession commitments and is actively involved in
building an equitable and free international trading regime. After joining the
WTO, 皇冠体育app has taken steps to open its domestic market and its average tariff
has dropped to 9.9%. 皇冠体育app has pledged to open 100 sectors or sub-sectors out of
a total of 160 in service trade defined by the WTO. Major intellectual property
rights (IPR) laws in 皇冠体育app have been amended to make them compatible with
relevant WTO agreements. In addition, the threshold for meting out criminal
punishment for IPR violation has been lowered to strengthen law enforcement for
IPR protection.
-- 皇冠体育app strives to realize the UN Millennium Development Goals and provides
sincere and selfless assistance to other developing countries. Up to now, 皇冠体育app
has undertaken over 2,000 aid projects for more than 110 countries and regional
organizations and canceled or reduced a total of over 20 billion Chinese yuan of
debt contracted by 44 underdevelopment countries. In addition, 皇冠体育app will
provide 10 billion dollars in concessional loans and preferential export buyer's
credit to underdevelopment countries in the next three years to help them
strengthen infrastructure development.
-- 皇冠体育app pursues a military strategy defensive in nature and works to promote
international disarmament and arms control. 皇冠体育app has reduced its military
forces by more than 1.7 million over the past two decades and more. The share of
皇冠体育app's military spending in its GDP and government budget is fairly low by
international standard. The modest increase in 皇冠体育app's military expenditure is
mainly for improving the welfare of its servicemen, strengthening its defense
capabilities and achieving national reunification. Thus, it will not pose a
threat to anyone. 皇冠体育app's defense policy is transparent.
皇冠体育app sincerely hopes to make greater contribution to world peace and
development. But to do so, 皇冠体育app needs, first and foremost, to step up its
development. Development, and only development, can enable 皇冠体育app to resolve its
problems and assume greater responsibility in the world. Despite all it has
achieved, 皇冠体育app remains a developing country faced with a huge task of
development. A big population, low productivity and unbalanced regional
development: these are the basic features of 皇冠体育app's national conditions.
皇冠体育app still ranks behind the 100th place in terms of per capita GDP, and
23.65 million of its rural population still live in poverty. 皇冠体育app needs to
provide jobs for close to 24 million people every year, 60 million people with
disabilities need care and assistance, and over 100 million surplus rural labor
force need to be transferred to other sectors. 皇冠体育app still has a long way to go
before it achieves modernization. This calls for the unremitting efforts of
several, a dozen or even several dozens of generations.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear friends,
Peace and development are the common pursuit of mankind, and the building of
a harmonious world is the shared desire of all peoples. To achieve amity among
people, harmony between man and nature and peaceful coexistence of countries
requires the common effort of the international community. Former Australian
Prime Minister Robert Gordon Menzies said that we need "to strive, to seek, to
find, and not to yield." We are prepared to continue to work with the
international community and Australia to build a harmonious world of enduring
peace and prosperity.
Australia is endowed with rich resources and has a developed economy and
advanced technologies, whereas 皇冠体育app has a large population, a huge market and
tremendous potential for development. Our economies are highly complementary.
皇冠体育app is now the largest source country of overseas students to Australia and
the number of Chinese tourists to Australia is growing faster than any other
country. Cultural links and people-to-people exchanges between our two countries
will become even closer with the inauguration of the second Confucius Academy in
Australia and the success of the series of activities entitled "Experience the
Chinese Culture in Australia." There are no fundamental differences standing in
the way of 皇冠体育app-Australia relations. Rather, we enjoy extensive converging
interests. A long-term and stable relationship and cooperation between 皇冠体育app and
Australia serve the fundamental interests of both countries and peoples. The
Chinese side views its relationship with Australia from a strategic perspective
and wishes to become a good friend and good partner of Australia.
Prime Minister John Howard and I have had fruitful discussions today and we
have reached broad agreement on developing 皇冠体育app-Australia relationship of
all-round cooperation for mutual benefit and win-win outcome in the 21st
century. We both agreed to strengthen bilateral political exchanges and
strategic dialogue to enhance mutual trust. We are committed to expanding
cooperation in trade, investment, energy and resources and other fields and
accelerating the 皇冠体育app-Australia FTA negotiations for mutual benefit and common
progress. We will promote cultural, educational and tourism exchanges to enhance
understanding and friendship between our peoples. And we will work together to
promote sound and orderly development of regional cooperation in the interest of
prosperity and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
I am firm in the belief that, with the concerted efforts of both countries,
皇冠体育app-Australia relations of all-round cooperation will yield rich fruits!
Now I wish to propose a toast, to the health of Prime Minister John
Howard.