Guest of Honor, Hon. Professor Peter Nelson Mwanza, MP.

Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development,

Rt. Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Henry Chimunthu Band, MP，and Hon. Members of the Parliament present,

Cabinet Ministers and Deputy Ministers present,

Your Lordship the Justices present,

Mr. Bright Msaka, Chief Secretary to the OPC and Mrs. Msaka, Senior Government Officials,

Acting Dean of Diplomatic Corps and Your Excellencies Ambassadors, High Commissioners,

My Fellow Chinese,

Dear Press Friends,

All Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening! Tonight, its my great honor indeed to invite you all here together with my wife and me to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

On 1st October, 1949, Chairman Mao Zedong, the founder of the People’s Republic of China solemnly proclaimed that the People’s Republic of China Was Founded, and the Chinese People Had Stood Up Since Then On. That was a historical moment that the Old China came to an end and a new era of China began. That was also a great time that the Chinese people had realized liberation and independence, and their misery destiny of being poor, weak and insulted by the foreign forces had been fundamentally changed. It was the first time in China’s history that the people became the masters of the country, which has also profoundly influenced the development process of the world history.

With a civilization of 5000 years, China has made great contributions to the world progress and human civilization. However, after the Opium War in 1840, China was forced to decline into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society gradually and lost our national independence, sovereignty and freedom.

Facing failure and humiliation, the far-sighted Chinese people had struggled generation by generation to look for the correct answers to two fundamental questions: Where for China to go? And how to get there?

It was until 1949 that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people eventually won the anti-imperialism and anti-feudalism war, which had put an end to more than a century of semi-colonial and semi-feudal society and the foreign invasions, as well as the history of the poor masses were oppressed and exploited by the few interested groups.

This is why the New China was named the People’s Republic of China, which was to declare the end of Old China known as the Republic of China, and to keep reminding the leaders of New China at all level and all the time that “the Republic belongs to the people, don’t forget the people, or you will be forgotten by the people.”

Since the founding of the New China, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese Government has committed in the national development of economy, democracy, rule of law and improvement of people’s livelihood. With concerted efforts of all the Chinese people, China has made great progress politically, economically, socially and culturally. In particular, since the reform and opening up in 1978, China has realized remarkable achievements which have been universally recognized worldwide. More than 250 million people have got rid of poverty, and over 1.32 billion Chinese people, who once lacked adequate food and clothing, are now enjoying a comparably well-off life.

From 1978 to 2008, the GDP of China had increased from 364.5 billon RMB Yuan to more than 30 trillion RMB Yuan with an average annual growth rate of 9.8%, ranking the third in the world. The foreign exchange reserve has raised to more than 2 trillion US dollars by now from 167 million US dollars in 1978, ranking the first in the world. In 2008, the total foreign trade volume of China reached 2.56 trillion US dollars, ranking the third in the world. The number of fixed telephone users has increased to over 340 million in 2008 from 1.92 million in 1978. The number of mobile phone users has soared to over 641 million in 2008 from 3000 in 1988. In 2008, China had about 300 million internet users, 277 TV stations, 257 radio stations, 2819 libraries, and 1943 newspapers.

Your Honorable, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are also keenly aware that, as the largest developing country in the world with a population of over 1.32 billion representing one-fifth of the world total population, per capita GDP just about 3000 US Dollars, and more than 40 million Chinese people in poverty, China is still in the process of transformations from poverty to prosperity and facing a lot of difficulties and challenges in the process of our own development.

By reviewing the past 60 years’ development of China, I think the most important achievement made in China is that the Chinese people eventually found a development path suited to the Chinese national conditions after several generations’ struggles and unremitting efforts. And over 1.32 billion Chinese people share the national consensus on Where for China to go and how to get there. All the Chinese people are sitting in one vessel and everybody is pushing very hard for a common goal----the national development.

The most important experience of China’s rapid development is to keep firmly to the path of peaceful development, insisting on reform and opening up, and unswervingly adhering to the independent foreign policy of peace. While striving for a peaceful international environment to achieve self-development, China has been promoting the world peace and common prosperity with its increasing development.

The Chinese Government will unswervingly pursue the correct domestic and foreign polices mentioned above, and the Chinese people will also continuously move forward along this correct development path. I am full of confidence that China’s rapid development will not only make China more civilized, more democratic and stronger, the people richer and happier, but also make greater contributions to the construction of a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity.

Your Honorable, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malawi over one year ago, with joint and concerted efforts from our two Governments and all walks of life of our two countries, the friendly cooperative relationship between us has developed rapidly with fruitful results, pragmatic cooperation in various fields are visible and tangible, which has brought substantial benefits to our two peoples. The mutual understanding and friendship between our two peoples have been further strengthened. The Chinese Government and people sincerely appreciate the Malawian Government for your firm commitments to the One China Policy and valuable supports to the Chinese national reunification cause.

Since last year, although China has severely affected by the global financial crisis, the Chinese Government has never hesitate to deliver our commitments, but actively participated in and supported the economic development of Malawi. The two projects of Karonga-Chitipa Road and Parliament Buildings have achieved substantial progress. The Balaka Cotton Growing and Processing Project which is expected to invest 25 million US dollars has benefited more than 50,000 local farmers so far. The constructions of the International Conference Center and the Five-Star Hotel will be started soon. The construction projects of the National Stadium in Lilongwe and the University in the South are already on our agenda.

Up to now, more than 200 Malawian friends from various fields have been invited to China for seminars or technical training programs. More than 50 Malawian students have been granted Chinese Governmental Scholarships to study in China. 17 Chinese Medical doctors are already serving Malawian people in Kamuzu Central Hospital and Mzuzu Central Hospital respectively. The Malawian tobacco, coffee and tea have entered into China’s Market. According to the statistics, the export volume from Malawi to China has increased to 16.29 million US dollars in the first half of this year from 8 million US dollars last year and less than 1 million US dollars in 2007 before the establishment of diplomatic relationship between China and Malawi. China has become the largest foreign investor of Malawi with total investment amount of 28.7 million US dollars in the first half of this year, which accounts for 55% of Foreign Direct Investment in Malawi in the same period. And I am very happy to see that 26.3million US dollars of Chinese investment were invested in manufacture.

Your Honorable, Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are very delighted to see that in the past five years, under the correct leadership of H.E. President Bingu wa Mutharika, Malawi has achieved rapid development all round. Its food production is beyond self-sufficiency, and the infrastructure constructions have developed remarkably. The Malawian people are living in a free, peaceful and harmonious society. We are also extremely happy to witness a free, fair and successful Presidential and Parliamentary Election on May 19 this year. From the election, we have got a clear, united and stronger message from the Malawian people for the national development.

We highly appreciate H.E. President Bingu wa Mutharika for his great vision for the national development to transform Malawi from a consuming and importing country to a producing and exporting one. We strongly believe that under his wise leadership and with joint efforts of the Malawian people, Malawi will definitely realize greater economic and social development.

As Malawi’s new friend and new development partner, the Chinese Government and people attach great importance to the development of a new type of strategic partnership of political equality and mutual trust, economic win-win cooperation and culture exchanges between China and Malawi, and will continue to join your efforts in achieving your self-sustainable economic development by deepening our pragmatic cooperation in various fields, especially in the areas of agriculture and its processing industry, heath and medical care, education and human resources development, infrastructure construction, renewable energy and environment protection, so as to make sure that this relationship between China and Malawi will definitely and better benefits our two peoples.

Your Honorable, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Now, may I invite you all to raise your glasses and join me in a toast,

To the continuous good health and happiness of H.E. Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi!

To the continuous prosperities of China and Malawi!

To the happiness and friendship of our two peoples!

And to the good health and happiness of all the friends present!

Cheers! 干杯！