Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao' s speech at opening session of second China-Eurasia Expo (Translation) (1)
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E-mail Xinhua, September 3, 2012
URUMQI, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Following is a translated version of the speech by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the opening session of the second China-Eurasia Expo and Economic Development and Cooperation Forum held on Sunday:
Towards New Glory of the Silk Road
Speech by H.E. Wen Jiabao
Premier of the State Council of the People' s Republic of China
At the Second China-Eurasia Economic Development and Cooperation Forum
Urumqi, 2 September 2012
Your Excellency President of Kyrgystan Almazbek Atambayev,
Your Excellency President of the Maldives Mohammed Waheed Hassan,
Your Excellency Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen,
Your Excellency Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov,
Your Excellency Prime Minister of Tajikistan Akil Akilov,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to join you at the Second China-Eurasia Expo in the beautiful city of Urumqi. Today, nearly 90 leaders and senior officials from Eurasian countries and international organizations and more than 1,000 Chinese and foreign entrepreneurs are gathered here at the Opening Session of the Expo. This fully testifies to the good wishes of countries in the region to increase understanding, expand exchanges and deepen cooperation. Let me extend, on behalf of the Chinese government, warm congratulations on the opening of the Expo and the Forum, and sincere welcome to all the guests who have come from afar. I also wish to pay high tribute to people from all sectors who have been dedicated to the friendship and cooperation between China and other Eurasian countries.
Eurasia is a beautiful and magical land. With abundant resources, a variety of landforms, diverse ethnic groups and pluralistic cultures, this land beams with vigor and vitality. It was likened to the broad chest of Mother Earth in ancient Greek myths. As early as over 2,000 years ago, our ancestors, conquering mountains and valleys, traversing deserts and grasslands and sailing seas and oceans, opened the Silk Road that connected both ends of the Eurasian continent and served as a bridge for interactions between the East and West. Along this ancient road, flows of goods, including silk, porcelain, tea, gemstone and fine horses were traded; craftsmen left myriads of art treasures and majestic architecture. Much has happened along this road, and Hiuen Tsang's journey to the west for Buddhist scriptures and Macro Polo's trip to China have become widely told stories of friendly exchanges among the Eurasian countries.
Today, as world political multi-polarity and economic globalization gather momentum, Eurasian countries have strived to seize historical opportunities and achieve prosperity with hard efforts. Their mutual political trust has deepened, trade and investment have rapidly expanded, regional and sub-regional cooperation has flourished, and the influence of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Arab League, the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has been on the rise. The ancient Silk Road has regained its past vigor and vitality. A number of developing countries have fast risen and become an important emerging force on the international stage, fundamentally changing the world political and economic landscapes. Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia and Central and Eastern Europe have displayed great vitality and potential for development. After I became Chinese Premier, I visited quite a few Eurasian countries, and I have seen for myself their rapid change and progress. The 21st century, a century of major development and major adjustments in the international architecture, will also be a century of major development and cooperation of the Eurasian countries.
China has entered the best time in history in its relations with Eurasian countries and is embracing a new height of cooperation for mutual benefit. We have established good-neighborly and cooperative relations with Central Asian countries and successfully settled the historical legacy of boundary issues. Since its inception 11 years ago, the SCO, with a growing number of members, observers and dialogue partners, has carried out productive economic and security cooperation. We have established the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum with West Asian countries and strategic dialogue with the GCC. We have forged strategic and cooperative partnerships with India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. China and the central and East European countries have held two sessions of the Economic and Trade Forum. Over the past ten years, China' s trade with countries in Central Asia, West Asia and South Asia has surged from 25.4 billion U.S. dollars to over 370 billion U.S. dollars, growing at an average annual rate of 30.8 percent. Chinese companies have made direct investment worth 250 billion U.S. dollars in Eurasian countries and signed project contracts worth about 470 billion U.S. dollars. West and Central Asian countries are China' s most important partners for energy cooperation. Our cooperation in this field has expanded from simple import and procurement to both upstream and downstream sectors covering design, prospecting, refining, processing, storage, transport and maintenance. Construction of the grand Eurasia passage is speeding up. The China-Kazakhstan oil and gas pipelines have started operation. The second cross-border railway between China and Kazakhstan has been successfully linked up. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan highway will be soon launched in full. A multi-dimensional silk road consisting of roads, railways, air flights, communications and oil and gas pipelines is taking shape.
The development of Eurasian countries and their growing ties have brought not only tangible benefits to people of all countries, but also peace and stability to the world. What has happened shows that as long as we, the Eurasian countries, embrace sincere cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, mutual trust, and mutual accommodation, we are fully capable of taking destiny in our own hands and achieving development and rejuvenation. (more)
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