Vice Minister Shen Haixiong,

Mr. Robert Kuhn,

Mr. Ronald Sakolsky,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear friends,

Good afternoon!

Last week, the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) successfully held its fifth plenary session, which drew global attention and positive responses. The Global Dialogue today could not be timelier, and I am delighted to share some personal thoughts with you.

At this plenary session, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech, providing fundamental guidance for understanding the guiding principles from the session and further advancing Party building in the new era. The Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Certain Major Issues concerning Persevering with Full and Rigorous Party Self-Governance was adopted, which highlights the importance of strengthening the Party spirit of Communists; strictly practicing democratic centralism; cultivating high-caliber officials capable of shouldering the mission of national rejuvenation; building a well-knit organizational system characterized by cross-level alignment and effective implementation; improving conduct and tightening discipline on an ongoing basis; taking firm and coordinated action against corruption; running the Party through institutions and regulations; refining Party and state oversight systems; and ensuring all responsibilities of Party self-supervision and self-governance are fulfilled in earnest. It was also decided at the session that the Party will convene its 21st National Congress in Beijing in the second half of 2027.

This plenary session was a significant meeting held on the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the CPC and at a critical period in the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Its focus on issues concerning persevering with full and rigorous Party self-governance is a major decision made by the CPC Central Committee based on its assessment and thorough consideration of the situation and in light of the historical stage that the cause of the Party and the country has entered and the advancement of Chinese modernization as a whole. This fully demonstrates the strong awareness and commitment of the CPC to advancing Party Building, and has broken new ground in the century-old Party’s endeavors to supervise, govern, develop, and strengthen itself in the new era. It will also mobilize the entire Party and the whole nation to strive for greater achievements on the new Long March.

Dear friends,

China’s success hinges on our Party, so we must ensure full and rigorous Party self-governance. A better CPC means a better China, which in turn contributes to a better world.

A China keeping forging ahead will firmly join hands with other countries to seek common development. Under the Party’s leadership, we have embarked on a Chinese path to modernization. The modernization China pursues is not for our country alone, but also for peace, development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and shared prosperity of the entire world.

— China continues to serve as a most reliable growth engine. Guided by our five-year plans, a unique strength of the Chinese system, we have followed through on one blueprint after another. This year, the 15th Five-Year Plan has got off to a good start. China’s GDP surpassed $16 trillion in the first three quarters, growing 4.6% year-on-year, with new growth drivers such as high-end manufacturing contributing more than 40% of the increase. The strong resilience and vitality of the Chinese economy provide a vital source of confidence for the world economy.

— China is actively sharing the opportunities of its vast and dynamic consumer market. We have been unwaveringly opening up wider, serving as both a super seller and a super buyer. In the first three quarters of this year, we imported around $2.5 trillion worth of goods, growing by 22.3% year-on-year. Events such as the China International Supply Chain Expo, the China International Fair for Trade in Services, and the Canton Fair attracted participants from around the world, and smart and green consumption, as well as service consumption, is growing rapidly, creating vast business opportunities for all countries.

— China is committed to building a world-class business environment. By promoting better interplay between an efficient market and a well-functioning government, we have provided fertile ground for businesses to compete and thrive. In China, businesses can sharpen their competitive edge in the world’s premier “fitness club”, tap into a “treasure trove” of well-established industrial and supply chains, and benefit from a “super accelerator” that helps turn innovations into real-life applications. More and more international enterprises are locating their R&D headquarters in China, and mapping out their global strategy with China as a vital base, because embracing China is embracing the future, and winning in the Chinese market is key to winning globally.

A China stepping up to its responsibilities will give a strong boost to human progress. The Communist Party of China is dedicated both to bringing greater happiness to the Chinese people and to striving for the progress of humanity. Committed to doing the hard but right thing, we have offered China’s solutions to major global challenges through our own endeavors.

— To eradicate poverty, China deployed more than 3 million first secretaries and resident officials to the front lines of the campaign against rural poverty. After eight years of strenuous efforts, nearly 100 million people were lifted out of absolute poverty, meeting the poverty reduction goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ten years ahead of schedule. This has created a miracle in the history of humanity’s fight against poverty, and set an example for other countries combating the challenge.

— To address climate change, China has focused on green and low-carbon development, and advanced carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. We have built the world’s largest and most complete clean energy industrial chains, which have not only strengthened our own energy resilience, but also provided low-carbon, affordable energy products to people worldwide. According to estimates by a research institute, the clean-tech products China exports in 2026 are expected to prevent around 8.4 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions over their lifetime, more than the combined annual emissions of the United States and India.

— To make the Earth a greener place, tens of millions of Chinese workers have devoted themselves to greening barren mountains and vast deserts, developing effective solutions such as drone-assisted grass seeding and photovoltaic-based sand control. Since 2012, China has planted trees across more than 73 million hectares, an area roughly 1.7 times the size of the state of California, accounting for about a quarter of the world’s increase in forest area. It was exactly during these decades of efforts that many heartwarming stories emerged, such as the friendship between Ms. Yin Yuzhen, a Chinese sand-control pioneer, and Mr. Ronald Sakolsky, an American teacher who supported her cause through donation. We hope to see many more stories like this in the years to come.

A China with a global vision will actively promote the reform and improvement of global governance. Building a community with a shared future for humanity is the noble goal of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, offering China’s answer to what kind of world we should build and how we should build it.

— China has partnered with more than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. Major projects including railways, bridges, ports, and power grids have empowered countries to pursue the independent development, while small and smart programs such as hybrid rice planting, juncao technology, and Luban Workshops have improved the daily lives of ordinary people, thus paving the way to greater happiness.

— China has been advancing the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Governance Initiative. We have provided new public goods by establishing organizations such as the International Organization for Mediation and the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, and have been helping build broad consensus on governance frameworks in areas such as AI at an early date, so as to enhance international cooperation and benefit people around the world.

— China is devoted to facilitating political settlements to international and regional hotspot issues. We have put forward multiple initiatives, including the proposal on promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, actively put into practice the Chinese way to address hotspot issues, upheld fairness and justice, and supported ceasefire and end of hostilities, so that people everywhere can once again live in peace and tranquility.

A confident and composed China is committed to the steady, sound, and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations. For two major countries like China and the United States, neither side can thrive without the other, and neither can change or replace the other. Cooperation is our sole right choice, and only through mutual benefit can we create a better future.

In September, President Xi Jinping paid his first state visit to the United States after 11 years, with which the two Presidents had exchanged visits within half a year, making history in bilateral engagement. During the visit, the two leaders agreed to build a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability on the basis of respect, fairness, and reciprocity, which has provided new strategic guidance for and also opened a new chapter in China-U.S. relations. The two sides reached eight deliverables, and released outcomes of economic and trade consultations, including reducing tariffs on about US$30 billion worth of goods imported from each other on a reciprocal basis. A number of youth exchange programs have been swiftly rolled out under the latest “100,000 in five years” initiative. All this fully shows that achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand, and that we can help each other succeed and advance the well-being of the whole world. 

China’s policy toward the United States remains consistent and stable. It is our hope that under the strategic guidance of the two Presidents, both sides will move in the same direction, translate the new vision for bilateral relations into action, strive to take this relationship where cooperation is the mainstay, competition is kept within proper limits, differences are managed, and peace can be expected, and chart the right path for our two major countries to get along.

Dear friends,

In today’s world, changes unseen in a century are accelerating. The international landscape is becoming increasingly turbulent and volatile, with new risks and challenges emerging constantly. All this underscores the fact that humanity is a community with a shared future. The Communist Party of China both seeks happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, and pursues progress for humanity and harmony for the world. We warmly welcome American friends from various sectors to decode the success of China’s governance through its Party building, and vigorously promote mutual understanding and cooperation between our two countries, so as to jointly ensure that the giant ship of China-U.S. relations will sail far and steadily, ushering in a brighter future for both our two countries and the world beyond.

I wish the Global Dialogue a great success. Thank you very much.