Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, Executive Director of Mekong Institute,
Dr. Changwen Zhao, President of Center for International Knowledge on Development,
Ladies and gentlemen, 

Good morning. It is a great pleasure to attend the webinar on Advancing Sustainable Development in the Lancang-Mekong Region through Global Development Initiative. Thanks to the MI Secretariat for their thoughtful arrangements, and welcome you all to this webinar.

Development is an eternal theme of humanity, and also the master key to solving all problems. At present, affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitics, the world economy recovery is difficult and tortuous, and developing countries are facing severe challenges in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

During the General Debate of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly in September 2021, President Xi Jinping put forth the Global Development Initiative (GDI), focusing on eight key areas including poverty alleviation, food security, COVID-19 and vaccines, financing for development, climate change and green development, industrialization, digital economy, and connectivity. The GDI aims at refocusing international attention on the issue of development, and stepping up international cooperation. Through the GDI, China would like to contribute insight and solution for solving difficult development issues and speeding up implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The initiative has been warmly received by the international community since its inception. It is a rallying call to galvanize support for the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. It offers a roadmap for bridging the North-South gap and a strong boost to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Over the past year or so, with the concerted effort from both China and the rest of the international community, the GDI has witnessed solid implementation and has achieved multiple early harvests. It signifies that the GDI has progressed from laying the foundation to establishing the pillars and is evolving from broad strokes to refined details. 

First, galvanizing international consensus. More than 100 countries and many international organizations have supported the GDI and nearly 60 countries have joined the Group of Friends of the GDI. The GDI has been incorporated into the cooperation documents between China and ASEAN, Central Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Pacific Island countries. Last June, when hosting the High-level Dialogue on Global Development, President Xi Jinping announced 32 important measures to implement the GDI, which helped to bring development back to the center of the international agenda and received high recognition.

Second, establishing financing platforms. The Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund pledged by President Xi Jinping has been set up and is now supporting cooperation under the GDI. Phase III of the FAO-China South-South Cooperation Trust Fund has been officially launched. In the meantime, China is exploring new ways to raise fund and mobilize various parties to pitch in and advance practical cooperation in the eight key areas identified by the initiative. 

Third, advancing institution building for cooperation in various sectors. China has set up a Global Development Promotion Center to provide an action platform for implementing the GDI. We launched and established such platforms as a World Technical Vocational Education and Training League, the China-Pacific Island Countries Climate Action Cooperation Center, an International NGOs Network for Poverty Reduction Cooperation. Through these mechanisms, China works with all sides to foster cooperation networks in various areas including agriculture, education, pandemic response and climate actions. In last September, China hosted a ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of the GDI, where new actions in seven areas and the first batch of projects of the GDI project pool were released, including 50 practical cooperation projects on poverty reduction, food security and industrialization and more than 1,000 capacity building projects.

Fourth, enhancing knowledge-sharing. We have issued the first Global Development Report, which provides insight for the global development cause. We are accelerating efforts to build a Global Knowledge Network for Development and engaging actively in experience-sharing on state governance and development to promote mutual learning among countries.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Six countries in the Lancang-Mekong sub-region share common mountains and rivers. Our interests are connected, so are our destinies. It’s our shared expectation to achieve development and prosperity while facing similar development challenges. Since the launch of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation(LMC) seven years ago, it has realized rapid development and has become an important sub-regional platform that improves people's well-being. LMC focuses on development in an action-oriented approach, and has demonstrated strong vitality with strong impetus injected into the sub-region. Mekong river countries are natural partners and beneficiaries of the implementation of the GDI, and the GDI is also the booster for the development of the sub-region. We look forward to working together with all Mekong river countries to build the sub-region into a pioneer for the implementation of GDI, bring more benefits to the people of riparian countries, and inject impetus into regional development. We expect that the Mekong Institute make full use of its advantages, strengthen synergy with LMC, and make due contributions to the implementation of the GDI.

Going forward, we will continue to see China’s development as part of human development and contribute to global development. China will continue to provide public goods to the international community, and work together with the people of all countries including Mekong river countries. These joint efforts surely will inject stability and positive energy into a world fraught with uncertainties, and jointly promote post-pandemic recovery and implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the sub-region for a community of shared future of Lancang-Mekong countries and a community of global development.

Thank you.