Dear friends,
Good afternoon.
October 1st marks the 71st birthday of the People's Republic of China. It is my pleasure to celebrate it in this special way - through the online platform, together with all the friends from BiH and the diplomatic corps, as well as the Chinese citizens living in BiH.
The year 2020 is unusual. This year, we have made utmost efforts in the following three things:
The first is to fight the pandemic with solidarity. China, as the first country to be hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, took the most adequate measures for prevention and control in the shortest time possible and stopped the local spread of the pandemic, thus making a significant contribution to preventing the spread of the virus worldwide. This fight was not easy for us. The 76-day lockdown of Wuhan, a city of about ten million people, is only a fraction of the whole story. In this fight, China cooperated with other countries and reported on the epidemiological situation as early as possible, unreservedly shared its experiences in the fight against the pandemic, provided assistance to more than 150 countries and international organizations, including BiH, and solemnly pledged to make Chinese vaccines a global public goods. Facts prove that humanity shares common destiny. Unity and cooperation are the most potent weapons to overcome the pandemic.
The second is joint development. The pandemic hit the global economy unprecedented, but Belt and Road co-operation has pressed ahead against all adds. China held the Global Trade in Services Summit of the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services and will hold China International Import Expo as planned and provide a free booth for BiH and other countries. China has set out the goal of fostering a new dual-cycle development architecture with the domestic cycle as the mainstay and with domestic and international development reinforcing each other. We will further increase our domestic demand, open still wider and provide development opportunities to all countries in the world, including BiH. We believe that the win-win cooperation is the right way forward.
The third is safeguarding the international order. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, as well as the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War. 75 years ago, peoples of the world won a victory over fascism through bloody battles, after which the United Nations were founded, opening a new chapter for world peace and development. Major changes unseen in a century are taking place in our world. Global threats and global challenges require strong global responses. As the Chinese President Xi Jinping noted at the high-level Meeting to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, the UN should stand firm for justice, uphold the rule of law, promote cooperation and focus on real action. As the first country to sign on the United Nations Charter, China will continue to be a true follower of multilateralism, stay actively engaged in the reforming and developing the global governance system, firmly uphold the UN-centered international system and firmly uphold the international order underpinned by international law, and firmly defend the UN's central role in international affairs.
Dear friends,
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and BiH. The pandemic has delayed our work plan, but relations between China and BiH have not grown distant, but even further strengthened.
We have strengthened mutual trust. In the midst of the pandemic, the leaders of the two countries exchanged several letters, and the foreign ministers held a friendly telephone conversation. Mutual wishes for solidarity and cooperation in the fight against the pandemic has been expressed. Authorities of the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the field of health and medical science, establishing a platform for cooperation in combating the pandemic. China was among the first countries to provide BiH with equipment and goods to fight the pandemic, shared the solutions for diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control, and organized three video conferences of medical experts. The friendship between China and BiH has deepened in cooperation in the fight against the pandemic.
We have achieved mutual benefits. Economic and trade cooperation between China and BiH has not been put on hold due to the pandemic. Unionpay has become available in BiH, and cooperation projects in areas such as energy, transport and hydropower are progressing smoothly. One local media outlet presented an award to Chinese engineers working in BiH, in recognition of their contribution to China-BiH cooperation. We are ready to continue to strengthen co-operation with the BiH side, adhering to the principle of consultation and cooperation for shared benefits.
We have achieved mutual exchange. Scholars of the two countries gave their views and opinions, both on the initiative "Belt and Road" and "17+1" cooperation, and on improving mutual cooperation between the two countries. After the opening of the Chinese Pavilion of Friendship, a gift of Tianjin to the City of Sarajevo, and the broadcast of the documentary series "Charming Beijing" on BHT, construction of a Chinese Rose Garden, donated by the Beijing Government, is also planned. When China was going through the most difficult moments in the fight against the pandemic, leaders and citizens in BiH gave us help and support in different ways. After the pandemic broke out in BiH, the Government of the People's Republic of China, several Chinese NGOs, Chinese companies operating in BiH, Chinese citizens and merchants living and working in BiH provided assistance to the BiH side, donating medical equipment and preventive means worth 550 thousand convertible marks, including respirators, test kits, masks, etc.
Dear friends,
On this occasion, I would like to thank my partners in BiH and Chinese compatriots for their efforts to promote bilateral relations, and my colleagues from the diplomatic corps for their support. October 1st also marks the Chinese traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, which symbolizes happiness and reunion. It is my pleasure to share with you the works "Ode to Joy", performed by the local Children's Choir "Princess krofne" and the Children's Choir of the City of Wuxi, which visited Sarajevo last year and donated tens of thousands masks to BiH during the pandemic.
I wish prosperity to China and BiH, and a long-living friendship between the two countries.
