（17 December 2018，Jakarta, Indonesia）

Dear colleagues and friends from research institutes and media,

Welcome to today’s event. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you several topics about China’s diplomacy in 2018, China’s achievements of 40 years of reform and opening-up, and the recent development of China-ASEAN strategic partnership.

As emphasized in the 19th Communist Party Congress in 2017, China will continue to hold high the banner of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit and remain committed to strengthening friendship and cooperation with all other countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. We will work towards forging a new form of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation and ready to join hands with other countries to build a community of shared future for mankind.

Over the past year, China’s diplomacy has made active efforts with new achievements, featuring openness, cooperation, steady progress, leading role, responsibility and steadfastness.

In 2018, we successfully hosted 4 major international events, namely, the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2018 with the theme of reform and opening-up, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Qingdao Summit with the theme of “Shanghai Spirit”, the China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Beijing Summit with the theme of jointly building the “Belt and Road”, as well as the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai with the theme of open market.

In 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the G20 summit, the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, the BRICS Summit, etc., made important visits overseas and received many foreign leaders in China, boosting head-of-state exchanges with other countries.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up to the outside world. China has now become the world’s second largest economy, the largest industrial producer, the largest trader of goods, and the holder of the largest foreign exchange reserves. Over the past 40 years, China’s GDP has averaged an annual growth rate of around 9.5% in comparable prices and its foreign trade has registered an annual growth of 14.5% in US dollars. The Chinese people have emerged from a life of shortages and poverty and are now enjoying abundant supply and a moderately prosperous life over the past 4 decades. More than 700 million people have successfully lifted themselves out of poverty, accounting for more than 70% of the global poverty reduction population in the same period.

In the above process, China has shouldered responsibilities and actively contributed Chinese wisdom and strength to world peace and prosperity, from “bringing in” to “going global”, from joining the World Trade Organization to pursuing jointly building the “Belt and Road" together with other countries,etc. China has made significant contribution to mitigating the Asian financial crisis and the global financial crisis. Contributing over 30% of global growth in recent years, China has become a key anchor and driver for the world economy and a positive force in advancing global peace and development.

In November, China successfully hosted the first China International Import Expo (CIIE). As the world’s first national-level expo solely for imports, it is China’s important initiative to further open its market to the world. It demonstrates China’s consistent position of supporting the multilateral trade system and free trade. 172 countries, regions and international organizations, more than 3,600 companies attend the event, including all ASEAN countries.

ASEAN has been the priority of China's neighborhood diplomacy and also a key area for jointly building the “Belt and Road”. The Initiative was proposed by President Xi Jinping during his visit to Indonesia 5 years ago. This year, President Xi paid successful visits to Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines, and met with leaders of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and other ASEAN countries on bilateral and multilateral occasions. During his visit to Indonesia in May, Premier Li Keqiang paid a historic visit to the ASEAN Secretariat, the highest Chinese leader and foreign head of government to visit the Secretariat so far. Also in this year, ASEAN Secretary-General H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi paid a formal visit to China, met with State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The other four DSGs also visited or attended events in China. And 10 ASEAN Ambassadors paid a group visit to China.

Since the establishment of dialogue relations in 1991 and especially strategic partnership in 2003, China-ASEAN cooperation has achieved fruitful results in all areas, becoming a most successful and dynamic pair of relationship in the Asia Pacific regional cooperation.

High-level visits have brought us closer. We have deepened strategic communication by setting up security dialogue platforms, and worked to build an open and inclusive regional architecture based on international law and rules. This has contributed to the maintenance of overall peace and stability in our region. We established the Lancang-Mekong cooperation framework, worked toward the East Asia Economic Community, led the way in the regional integration process, boosted regional development and prosperity. We have maintained close communication and coordination at APEC, the UN and other fora, worked together to improve the global governance system by reform and resolve regional and international hotspots by peaceful means, and opened new prospects for South-South cooperation.

On the South China Sea issue, we have supported and stuck to the “dual-track approach ”initiated by ASEAN countries，that is , disputes should be resolved peacefully through negotiations between the parties directly concerned, and China and ASEAN countries should work together to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea. In August this year, China and ASEAN countries have reached agreement on a single draft negotiating text of the Code of Conduct(COC). China-ASEAN relations have gone beyond the bilateral scope and gained increasing regional and global significance.

We have put in great efforts in promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation. We have upgraded the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. Two-way trade jumped from US$ 78 billion in 2003 to US$ 510 billion in 2017. China has been ASEAN’s top trading partner for nine years in a row, and ASEAN China’s third largest for seven consecutive years. Two-way accumulative direct investment totals over US$ 200 billion. Practical cooperation has boosted our common development and delivered benefits to two billion people in the 11 countries.

The organizing of China-ASEAN theme years, such as science and technology, culture, education, tourism and innovation etc. has added substance to our cooperation. People-to-people and cultural exchanges are now the third pillar of China-ASEAN relations. The number of annual mutual visits increased from 3.9 million 15 years ago to this year’s nearly 50 million. Over 3,800 flights travel between China and ASEAN countries every week.

In November, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attended the 21st China-ASEAN summit in Commemoration of the 15th Anniversary of China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership and other relative meetings in Singapore with fruitful results. Premier Li announced that China will contribute another US$ 10 million to the China-ASEAN Cooperation Fund (ACCF) to further boost people-to-people and cultural exchanges, with a special focus on providing long-term and short-term scholarships for young talents from ASEAN countries to study in China. China and ASEAN have designated 2019 as the China-ASEAN Year of Media Exchanges, which will contribute to more exchanges and cooperation among our peoples.

The 21st China-ASEAN summit also adopted ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership Vision 2030, which is a significant blueprint for the next 15 years of our relationship, China and ASEAN countries will join hands to strengthen the three pillars- political security , economy and trade, people to people and cultural exchanges, working towards a strategic partnership of higher standards.

Dear friends from research institutes and media,

The Chinese Mission to ASEAN attaches great importance to enhance cooperation with you to promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges. This year, Ambassador Huang Xilian and other diplomats from our mission paid a number of visits to research institutes and media of ASEAN countries, published 11 articles, took 9 interviews by ASEAN and Chinese media, and attended more than 20 seminars , forums, talk-shows,etc. held or participated by ASEAN research institutes and universities.

Next year, our mission will host and organize various projects and activities to celebrate the China-ASEAN Year of Media Exchanges. In the middle of January 2019, we will hold the launch ceremony of the China-ASEAN cultural documentary DAN’s WAY-INDONESIA, in collaboration with relevant institutions. We will also hold Jakarta Forum and China-ASEAN High-Level Media Forum, etc. We welcome active participation and intellectual support by research institutes and media in these activities.

Finally, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude to colleagues and friends from research institutes and media. Lots of thanks for supporting China-ASEAN cooperation and our mission’s work. Let’s look forward and work towards a higher-quality China-ASEAN relationship with more fruitful outcomes in various fields in 2019 and the years to come. Thank you all for your attention.