Dear friends,

On the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, I wish to extend festive greetings to all overseas Chinese, Chinese students and staff members of Chinese companies in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. To all the friends who have the unfailing care and support of China’s development and China-Australia friendship, I give you my heart-felt thanks and sincere appreciations.

Since the People’s Republic of China was founded 72 years ago, profound and tremendous changes have taken place in the country. China has achieved the historic breakthrough from a country with relatively backward productive forces to the world’s second largest economy, made the historic transformation from a largely isolated country to one open to the outside world across the board, and achieved the historic leap from a country with bare subsistence to moderate prosperity in all aspects. Today, the Chinese people’s lives have greatly improved. With its per capita gross national income exceeding US$10,000, China has the world’s biggest middle income group of over 400 million people, and the world’s largest social security and compulsory education systems. Today, science and technology in China has developed rapidly, including Chang’e 5 landing on the moon and gathering rocks and soil, Zhurong Rover exploring the Mars, three taikonauts moving into the Tianhe core module. Today, China unswervingly pursues peaceful development, upholds multilateralism and takes an active part in the international cooperation to fight against COVID-19. It’s committed to working with other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

The year 2021 is of great importance in the history of China’s development.

This year, we celebrate the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The hundred-year history of the CPC is a history of fulfilling its original aspiration and mission, and a history of the Party staying truly connected with the Chinese people, breathing the same breath as the people, and sharing weal and woe with the people. Over the past 100 years, the CPC has united and led the Chinese people in exploring a path of revolution, construction and development suited to its own national circumstances. The Chinese nation has achieved the tremendous transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong, and China’s national rejuvenation has become a historical inevitability.

This year, we have realized the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and brought about a historic resolution to the problem of absolute poverty. As the largest developing country with a population of 1.4 billion, China has all along taken poverty alleviation as its goal, and especially in the past 8 years prioritized poverty elimination in its governance. This year, China has eradicated absolute poverty, with 99.89 million rural people living under the current poverty line lifted out of poverty. The century-long aspiration of the Chinese people to get rid of poverty and enjoy enough food and clothing has come true in the end.

This year, we have embarked on a new journey towards building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects. In the first half of 2021, China’s GDP increased by 12.7% year on year, and foreign trade imports and exports by 27.1%. The achievements in coordinating epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development have been continuously consolidated. On the journey ahead, the CPC will unite and lead the Chinese people in grounding the work in this new stage of development, applying the new development philosophy, fostering a new pattern of development, and promoting high-quality development. It will make more substantive progress towards achieving common prosperity for all. China will pursue high-standard opening up in more areas, on a larger scale, and in greater depth, and promote win-win cooperation, thus contributing more to the world while promoting its own development.

Dear friends,

At present, the China-Australia relationship is confronted with serious difficulties. This is not what we want to see. Mutual respect, including respect for each other’s history, culture and social system, remains the basis for practical cooperation between countries. The sound and steady development of the China-Australia relationship serves the common interests of both countries and peoples. We hope that Australia would take an objective and rational approach to China and its development, do more to enhance mutual trust and promote practical cooperation between two countries, thus pushing our bilateral relations back to the right track.

Sub-national cooperation plays a fundamental and important part in bilateral relations. Notwithstanding current difficulties in China-Australia relations, China has maintained sound relations and exchanges with Victoria and Tasmania with the joint efforts of both sides. Especially since the outbreak of COVID-19, governments and peoples from both sides offered mutual support to fight against the pandemic together. There were many touching stories that vividly showed the deep friendship between the two peoples. Over the past two years, a series of events were held to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of sister-provincial relations between Jiangsu and Victoria, and sister-city relations between Tianjin and Melbourne. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of sister-provincial relations between Fujian and Tasmania, and the two sides will hold celebrations together. In the future, we will continue to strengthen contacts with all walks of life in Victoria and Tasmania, promote cooperation and exchanges, and further enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

Dear friends,

During the fight against the pandemic in the past year, many overseas Chinese, Chinese students and companies in Victoria and Tasmania united as one, stayed together and helped each other, fully demonstrating the Chinese nation’s traditional virtues and excellent character of the Chinese people. At present, the pandemic is still raging around the world. The motherland has always cared about the health and safety of overseas Chinese, and will continue to provide all sorts of help including pandemic prevention materials. I hope that overseas Chinese in Victoria and Tasmania will continue to strengthen pandemic prevention and stay safe and healthy. I hope you, united as one and with mutual assistance, will expand the convergence of interests, so that all Chinese people, both at home and overseas, can focus their ingenuity and energy on the same goal and come together as a mighty force for realizing national rejuvenation. I also hope you will continue to make contributions to the friendship between the Chinese and Australian peoples.

To conclude, may our great motherland be prosperous and strong, and the Chinese people be happy and healthy! May the friendship between our two peoples last forever! Wish everyone health, happiness and prosperity.

Thank you！