Dear friends,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa!

On the occasion of the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the Mid-Autumn Festival, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my best wishes to all Chinese nationals in New Zealand and to all kiwi friends.

As ancient Chinese poem goes,

On festive occasions more than ever, one thinks of one's dear ones far away. Though we are thousands miles away from home, our hearts are always with our motherland and our people.

This year marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China. Over the past 100 years, the Party has united and led the Chinese people and achieved great success in socialist revolution and construction, in reform and opening up, in socialist modernization, and in building socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. The Chinese nation has achieved a tremendous transformation - from standing up and growing prosperous, to becoming strong. President Xi Jinping declared on July 1st that China has realized the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and we are now marching confidently toward the second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects.

As the Maori proverb says, He tangata, he tangata, he tangata (It is the people, it is the people, it is the people.). The Communist Party of China has always represented the fundamental interests of all Chinese people and has practiced a people-centered philosophy of development. It is with this philosophy that China has eliminated absolute poverty, representing 70% of global poverty reduction during the same period. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and through arduous efforts, we have effectively curbed the waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the recent outbreak of the Delta variant, and protected people's lives and health to the greatest extent possible. Effective control of the pandemic has boosted economic recovery. The first half of this year saw a strong rebound of the Chinese economy, which will bring the whole year growth to 8.1 percent, as projected by the IMF.

In the journey toward fully building a modern socialist country, the Communist Party of China unites and leads the Chinese people in implementing the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for New Era. China is applying the new development philosophy and fostering a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay, and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. Both domestic and foreign markets can be better connected and utilized to achieve robust and sustainable development. Reform and opening up will be deepened across the board.

Today's China is also committed to greener growth and attaches great importance to addressing climate change. China will be more innovative and build up strength in science and technology. In the new era, China will ensure and enhance public well-being in the course of development, and take well-coordinated steps toward making the people prosperous, the nation strong, and the country environmental-friendly.

China has always worked to safeguard world peace, contribute to global development, and preserve international order. This can be seen through China's positive contribution to international efforts to combat the pandemic and restore the economy, and through China's pledge to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. China will work to build a new type of international relations and a community with a shared future for mankind, promote high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative through joint efforts, and use China's new achievements in development to provide the world with new opportunities.

This means, the China-New Zealand relationship can create new opportunities. The upgraded Free Trade Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement have positioned both China and New Zealand well to reap new benefits from practical cooperation. Both countries have a significant stake in maintaining peace and stability through enhancing multilateral, regional, and bilateral coordination and collaboration.

The international community needs unity more than ever in the face of increasing and unprecedented global challenges. Different as our two nations and two peoples may be, New Zealand and China enjoy the same full-moon. Likewise, the two nations and peoples have been able to strive to achieve many firsts, and to share peace and prosperity. China will continue to work with New Zealand to uphold the spirit of openness, cooperation, and mutual benefits, to promote economic recovery and growth, deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership and contribute to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

To conclude, I'd like to share a line from a Tang Dynasty poem:

Arising above the sea is the bright moon,

Shared by all of us near or far,

It brings us all together at this very moment.

海上生明月,天涯共此时.

I wish everybody a Happy National Day and a joyful Mid-Autumn Festival.

Thank you! Ngā mihi!