H.E.Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand,

H.E.Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP,

H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Last week the 78th session of ESCAP was successfully held and we grandly celebrated its 75th anniversary. Over the past 75 years, ESCAP has made great contributions to the economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific, including to the outstanding achievements in the area of poverty reduction. As State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi said in his opening remarks at the 78th session of ESCAP, the region has created the “Asia-Pacific miracle” admired across the world.

China is the largest developing country in the world, and has taken poverty reduction as a priority in the governance of the country. President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that poverty is not a feature of socialism. Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China has lifted 770 million people out of poverty. In particular, since 2012, China has successfully lifted nearly 100 million rural population above the current poverty line. With the eradication of extreme poverty, China has achieved the poverty reduction goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development 10 years ahead of schedule.

These hard-won achievements are a testimony to the efforts of the CPC and the Chinese government, which are guided by a people-centered philosophy and the principle of leaving no one behind. With a whole-society approach, China has taken development as its basic strategy for poverty reduction, supported by enormous financial and human resources investment, and has implemented the Strategy of Targeted Poverty Alleviation.

China attaches great importance to agricultural development. We strictly keep above the red line of 120 million hectares of arable lands. We firmly hold the rice bowl in our own hands.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

China remains a reliable and trustworthy good neighbor, good friend and good partner of ASEAN. Over the past 30 years since the establishment of Dialogue Relations, China-ASEAN cooperation has become the most dynamic and promising model of regional cooperation. The scale of trade and investment between the two sides keeps expanding. Poverty reduction cooperation has also made positive progress including through regional mechanisms, such as the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism, China-ASEAN Social Development and Poverty Reduction Forum, the ASEAN+3 Village Leaders Exchange Program, and the Cooperation Initiative on Poverty Reduction in East Asia.

China-ASEAN relations have no limits and are sure to grow even closer. Going forward, we should be highly alert to the severe threat posed by the Cold War mentality and hegemony and strive to uphold true multilateralism and implement the Global Security Initiative, to build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home together.

Post-pandemic recovery is on the top of our agenda. The ASEAN-China Public Health Cooperation Initiative could be comprehensively implemented. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and cooperation in the blue, green and digital economies will strengthen our efforts in building an open Asia-Pacific economy. Facing the food security concern, we should work together to tackle risks such as geopolitical conflicts, unilateral sanctions, climate change and disruptions in global supply chains.

We need to continue enhancing cooperation in poverty reduction through policy dialogue and experience sharing. Sustainable agricultural development should be fully explored to enable poverty reduction and rural development.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

As State Councilor and Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi said in his opening remarks at the 78th session of ESCAP, China will firmly safeguard peace and promote development in the Asia-Pacific, and actively participate in Asia-Pacific cooperation. The Global Development Initiative (GDI), proposed by President Xi Jinping, accords with the historical trend and meets the needs of various countries. All partners are welcome to join the initiative to bring new impetus to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Asia-Pacific. 

China is willing to deepen cooperation with ESCAP members and ASEAN countries, further strengthen the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership towards a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future, and promote the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for a new “Asia-Pacific miracle”.

Thank you all!