Remarks by Amb. MA Qiang at the Reception Celebrating the 96th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Liberation Army of China
Hon. Victor Atem, Acting Minister of Defence,
Hon. Rizik Zachariah Hassan, Minister of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism,
Hon. Martin Gama Abucha, Minister of Mining,
Ladies and gentlemen, friends,
Good afternoon. It’s a pleasure to have all of you here with us for the reception celebrating the 96th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA).
The year 1927 witnessed the founding of the PLA. Since then, the development of the PLA has written a glorious chapter in the history of the Communist Party of China and the People’s Republic of China. In the past, the PLA has made irreplaceable and indelible contributions to realizing freedom and liberation of the Chinese people, to pursuing peaceful development through reform and opening-up of China, and to safeguarding sovereignty, security and development interests of the nation. Today, the PLA remains a “guardian” for the Chinese people in their pursuit of a safe home and a better life, providing a strong support for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
China is following a path of peaceful development, and remains firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace and a national defence policy that is defensive in nature. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has seen us embarking on a new journey in a new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, drawing a new blueprint for China’s future development. On the journey ahead, China will stay committed to the socialism with Chinese characteristics and to the reform and opening-up, puttingon its shoulders the historical mission of pursuinghappiness of its people and rejuvenation of the nation.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends,
The world today is undergoing major changes unseen in a century, entangled in the coexistence of both opportunities and challenges. The development of a multipolar and globalized world is well under way,making the historical trends of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit unstoppable. And yet, our world has entered a period of development in which uncertainties and unforeseen factors are rising, unilateralism, protectionism and populism are mounting, and non-traditional security threats including terrorism, climate change and refugee flows are posing serious challenges more than ever.
China has always been a peace-loving country. To those friends who have been to China, the ancient Great Wall you have visited is in its nature a symbol of defense. China’s strategic goal is to develop itself rather than to challenge anyone else. We have no intention to challenge the international standing and interests of any other country or the existing international order. China offers the world unprecedented opportunities, bringing about brighter prospects than ever before for jointly building a human community with a shared future. China adheres to the principles of peaceful development and win-win cooperation, and takes a firm stance against expansionism and colonialism of any kind. Anyone without biases shall see this very clearly.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends,
To promote world security, Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed a Global Security Initiative, which upholds the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and calls upon all countries to safeguard world peace and security with concerted efforts. The Chinese military has always been a leading force in defending regional and international peace. China has been a staunch supporter of and an active participant in UN peacekeeping operations. It takes up the second biggest share of UN membership fees and peacekeeping assessment. China is also the largest troop-contributing country of UN peacekeeping operations among the 5 permanent members of the Security Council, dispatching over 50,000 Chinese peacekeepers to nearly 30 UN peacekeeping missions. Besides, the Chinese military takes an active part in international humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, dispatches professional rescue forces to the affected countries, and provides relief materials and medical assistance. This April, the Chinese government evacuated more than 1,300 citizens out of the armed conflicts in Sudan. In this process, the Chinese military adopted different strategies, including using 2 naval vessels to get 940 Chinese citizens and 231 foreign nationals to safety. All this has fully demonstrated that the PLA is committed to honoring its international responsibilities as the armed forces of a major country.
China has sent the largest number of peacekeeping troops to South Sudan. As we speak, 1,050 Chinese peacekeepers are fulfilling their mandates in South Sudan. This year alone, the Chinese Battalion of the UNMISS has carried out up to 50 times patrols to places including Mangalla and Terekeka with a total coverage of more than 12,000 km, playing an important role in maintaining peace on the ground. The Chinese Engineering Contingent in Wau has completed the construction of 4 main support routes (MSRs) of more than 200 kilometers in total. The Chinese Level-ⅡHospital in Wau has provided medical services to more than 1,000 patients and performed 20 surgeries. All the Chinese peacekeepers are actively carrying out humanitarian activities including donating 13,000 pieces of living materials, stationery, sports goods, and sanitary supplies to more than 10 schools and hospitals in Tali, Terekeka, Wau among other regions.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends,
China supports South Sudan in restoring national peace and promoting economic development with concrete assistance to the best of its ability. Last year, on behalf of the Chinese government, the Embassy provided vehicles, generators and tents worth 3 million USD to the South Sudan People’s Defense Force. Not long ago, we also donated a batch of food and medical supplies to South Sudanese government. In the future, China stands ready to work with the international community to makemore contributions to the lasting peace and stable development of South Sudan.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends,
Please join me in a toast,
To the 96th anniversary of the founding of the PLA,
To the country-to-country and military-to-military cooperation between China and South Sudan,
To the everlasting China-South Sudan friendship,
Cheers!
