On September 26, 2019, H.E. Mr. Cui Tiankai, Chinese Ambassador to the United States, held a reception in the Chinese Embassy to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Around 600 guests attended the reception, including Rep. Carol Miller, Rep. TJ Cox, Del. Kilili Sablan, Ambassador Stapleton Roy, officials from the White House and the Department of State, and representatives from think tanks, businesses, diplomatic corps and other sectors. Mr. Li Kexin, DCM & Minister of the embassy, moderated the reception.

Ambassador Cui said in his remarks that since the founding of the People's Republic of China 70 years ago, the Chinese nation has stood up, stuck together as one indivisible nation, grown rich and become strong. For 70 years, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has led the people in our common endeavor to develop the country. For 70 years, the Chinese people have marched, explored, built and served; we have been united as one for the development of our homeland with unyielding resolve and resilience. We have remained true to our ideals and kept our mission firmly in mind. We have made it our sole and ultimate goal to live up to the people’s aspiration and expectation for a better life. We have believed in hard work and self-reformation as a way to realize our dream. Starting from scratch, we have put our shoulders to the wheel and established a complete national economic system. We have kept a broad mind and blazed a socialist path with Chinese characteristics. We have adapted Marxist principles to China’s realities and taken an inclusive approach to other peoples and cultures. We have made every effort to modernize China’s system and capacity for governance. With respect to peaceful reunification of the country, we have successfully put into practice “One Country, Two Systems”, and made major strides forward. All of these represent important efforts to improve and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics. History has shown that upholding the leadership of the CPC and socialism with Chinese characteristics holds the key to resolving the current-day problems in China, and it also lights up the way for us to our future.

Ambassador Cui said, over the past seven decades, China’s development has not only benefited its own people enormously, but also made great contributions to world peace and prosperity. A prosperous and stable China is in itself a huge contribution to the world and also a great boon to other countries. China has no intention to beat or displace any other country, nor does it have the slightest interest in hegemonism or expansionism. Instead, it has always been a staunch force for world peace, global development and international order. The world has become a better place because of China’s contribution to global governance and to the fight against global challenges. It is a safer place as China has dispatched a large number of troops to UN peacekeeping operations, more than any other permanent member of the Security Council. And it is also more prosperous thanks to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its efforts for an open world economy. We are confident that it will be even better as we work with other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Ambassador Cui stressed that this year also marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. The past seven decades divides into 23 years of estrangement and confrontation and 47 years of win-win cooperation. History proves that we have a thousand reasons to make the China-US relationship work, and not a single reason to let it fail. History proves that both China and the US gain from cooperation, and lose in confrontation. So for our two countries, there is no better option than cooperation. Standing at a new crossroads, both countries should stand to their responsibilities to history and make a right choice as to the future of their relations. We need to promote a China-US relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability, and reject the notion of a “new Cold War”. We need to develop sound economic and trade relations, and resist the words and deeds aimed at “decoupling”. We need to step up mutual understanding and mutual learning between the Chinese and American cultures, both gems of the human civilization. We need to respect each other’s choice of development path and ditch the so-called “clash of civilizations”. We also need to push for more robust people-to-people exchanges, as this is the bond between hearts and the bridge between souls. Any attempt to undercut the people’s friendship must be thwarted. It is the people who make history. And it is the Chinese and American people, not any political force or schemer, that will determine the future of China-US relations.

The reception was filled with an atmosphere of celebration and friendship. The embassy put on a photo exhibition for the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, and showed the documentary the Dream Seeker: China 2019, which is about the Chinese people’s hard-working and unyielding spirit. The guests extended their warm congratulations on the 70th anniversary and acclaimed the remarkable achievements made by China. They agreed that mutually-beneficial relations between China and the U.S. are in the interests of the people of both countries and the whole world. It is hoped that the two sides will follow the important agreement between the two heads of state and promote a relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability.