(Islamabad Strategic Studies Institute)
Your Excellency Ambassador Inam-ul-Haq, Former Foreign Minister of Pakistan,
Your Excellency Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, DG ISSI,
Your Excellency Ambassador Masood Khan and Ambassador Naghmana Hashmi,
Dr. Talat Shabbir, Director CPSC, ISSI
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon!
It is my great pleasure to attend the seminar on China’s Two Sessions, jointly organized by China Media Group (CMG) and the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad. The theme of the meeting mentions “China’s Spring,” which reminds me of the song “The Story of Spring.” The song tells the story of Comrade Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of China’s reform and opening-up, driving the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. Since then, the spring breeze of reform and opening-up has swept across the Chinese land, “miraculously rising cities and miraculously gathering mountains of gold.” Especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has personally planned, guided, and promoted comprehensive deepening of reforms, pointing out that we must deepen reforms and expand opening-up with greater courage to continue writing more “stories of spring.” This year’s Two Sessions are being held in the first spring following the strategic decision of further comprehensive deepening of reforms made at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which is of great significance for continuing to write “the story of spring” and pooling efforts to advance Chinese modernization. The Chinese people are eagerly looking forward to it. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “Reform and opening-up, China’s second revolution, has not only profoundly changed China but also profoundly influenced the world.” For this reason, the international community is also eagerly looking forward to this year’s Two Sessions. People hope to draw new momentum for growth from China’s high-quality development, seize new opportunities for cooperation in China’s high-level opening-up, and gain new inspiration for progress from the great practice of Chinese modernization. The Two Sessions successfully concluded yesterday. We are learning, understanding, and implementing the spirit of the Two Sessions and would like to share the following preliminary thoughts with our friends.
First, Chinese modernization has taken new steps and embarked on a new chapter. Over the past year, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 5%, with per capita GDP exceeding $13,000, contributing about 30% to global economic growth, with grain output surpassing a new milestone of 1.4 trillion jin (approximately 700 million tons) for the first time, 12.56 million new jobs were created in urban areas, and over 13 million new energy vehicles were manufactured. The solid progress of Chinese modernization is fundamentally attributed to the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This year, we expect GDP growth of around 5%. Despite challenges such as adverse impacts from changes in the external environment and insufficient domestic effective demand, we firmly believe that under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and through the united efforts of people of all ethnic groups, we will achieve economic and social development goals and tasks comprehensively, writing a new chapter in the realization of Chinese modernization. “China’s opportunities, shared by the world.” What we pursue is not a modernization that only benefits ourselves. This year’s government work report states that China will continue to expand high-level opening-up and promote high-quality Belt and Road Initiative cooperation. These important measures will surely provide new opportunities for the world with the new development of Chinese modernization, benefiting our close friend Pakistan first and foremost. As President Xi Jinping pointed out, China stands ready to walk hand in hand with Pakistan on our respective paths to modernization and welcomes Pakistan to benefit first from China’s further comprehensive deepening of reforms and expansion of high-level opening-up.
Second, new breakthroughs have been achieved in science and technology, making new contributions. During this year’s Two Sessions, General Secretary Xi Jinping had cordial exchanges with delegates and members, discussing national affairs and emphasizing the importance of focusing on scientific and technological innovation, industrial innovation, and the integration of both, further clarified the basic path for the development of new quality productive forces. In 2024, China’s efforts to build a strong science and technology nation achieved new breakthroughs, with high-tech manufacturing value-added increasing by 8.9%, total R&D expenditure reaching 3.6 trillion yuan, and the added value of core digital economy industries accounting for about 10% of GDP. Since the beginning of this year, the domestically developed open-source large language model DeepSeek has been launched, and the animated film “Ne Zha 2” empowered by digital technology, has exceeded 300 million global views and a box office of over $2 billion. We will promote the integrated development of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, nurture and strengthen emerging industries and future industries, stimulate innovation vitality in the digital economy, continuously improve the level of self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology. I would also like to specifically mention that DeepSeek adheres to open-source principles, contributing “Chinese wisdom” to the world, which shows that China’s independent innovation is the innovation with openness and will benefit more countries and people while achieving our own development. In 2024, Pakistan’s inaugural lunar satellite iCube-Qamar and multi-mission communication satellite PakSat-MM1 were launched from China. Just before the Two Sessions, China and Pakistan signed an agreement on astronaut selection and training cooperation, and the first foreign astronaut to visit China’s space station will come from our iron-clad friend Pakistan.
Third, the quality of people’s lives have reached a new level and they’re filled with new expectations. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that “in Chinese modernization, people’s livelihood is of paramount importance” and “of every issue, whether related to a family, a nation or the whole world, ensuring a happy life for the people is the top priority.” Employment is the basic aspect of people’s livelihood. In 2024, China’s urban surveyed unemployment rate averaged 5.1%, a year-on-year decrease of 0.1 percentage points. The number of people lifted out of poverty who found employment reached 33.052 million. National scholarships and grants benefited over 34 million students, and one-time living allowances for those in need reached more than 11 million people. This year’s government work report proposed for the first time to invest more capital and resources “in people”, aiming to create over 12 million new urban jobs and subsidize vocational skills training for over 10 million people annually for three consecutive years. This series of policies and measures reflects the warmth of China’s development in terms of people’s livelihood, bringing people new expectations for a better life. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that “no one should be left behind on the path to modernization, and no country should be left out.” China is not only committed to improving the lives of its people through our own development, but also committed to improving the lives of people in other countries through shared development. China’s contribution to global poverty reduction exceeded 70%. The Belt and Road international cooperation has created 421,000 local jobs. When it comes to China-Pakistan cooperation on livelihood enhancement, the China-Pakistan Friendship Hospital treated over 150,000 patients under six months, and welcomed 1,260 newborn babies. Chinese experts traveled a long way to Pakistan to perform surgeries for congenital heart disease patients, enabling the children to regain their health and reigniting the hope in their families.
Fourth, the major-country diplomacy has achieved new progress and opened up new prospects. In 2024, China’s major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics has created a favorable external environment for China’s high-quality development and brought valuable stability to a world full of changes and turmoil. Especially as the leader of a major country and a major political party, President Xi Jinping, with a global vision and a sense of responsibility of the times, has guided China’s diplomacy to adhere to the correct principles while taking innovative measures, and move forward steadily, achieving new development and opening up a better environment. The important concepts and initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping are increasingly welcomed and supported by the international community. The positive role China plays in addressing various global challenges and resolving hot-spot and difficult issues is increasingly expected and praised by countries around the world. The success and enlightenment of the Chinese path to modernization are being recognized and learnt from by more and more countries. More than 100 countries in the world support the “Three Global Initiatives”, and more than three-quarters of the countries have joined the big family of Belt and Road international cooperation. For the first time, the proportion of China’s imports and exports with countries involved in Belt and Road international cooperation exceeded 50% of China’s total imports and exports. This year’s government work report pointed out that China should adhere to an independent and peaceful foreign policy, adhere to the path of peaceful development, firmly pursue a mutually beneficial and win-win opening-up strategy, oppose hegemonism and power politics, oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism, and safeguard international fairness and justice. For this reason, we will be a firm force in safeguarding national interests, a just force in promoting world peace and stability, a progressive force in safeguarding international fairness and justice, and a constructive force in promoting global common development. China and Pakistan are both developing countries and important members of the Global South. We are willing to closely coordinate and cooperate with Pakistan to jointly safeguard the interests of developing countries, promote the development and strengthening of the Global South, jointly promote an equal and orderly multi-polar world and inclusive and universally beneficial economic globalization, to take the world towards a bright future of peace, security, development and prosperity.
Finally, I wish this seminar a complete success, I wish China and Pakistan enjoy long-term prosperity, I wish the friendship between China and Pakistan last forever, and I wish every friend Ramazan Mubarak and a happy life!
Thank you!
