Opening Remarks by Foreign Ministry Commissioner Liu Xianfa at the Talk of Diplomacy in Celebration of the 22nd Anniversary of Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) on Friday, March 25*
Dr. Liu Chak Wan,
President Joseph Hun-Wei Lee,
Prof. Kishore Mahbubani,
Faculty members and students,
Dear colleagues and friends,
Good afternoon. It gives me great pleasure to attend the Talk of Diplomacy of the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST). First of all, I’d like to, on behalf of the Commissioner's Office, congratulate you on the 22nd anniversary of MUST, and warmly welcome Prof. Mahbubani to today’s [Friday's] event.
Over the past 22 years, MUST, under the motto of “Dedication to practical studies, enhancement of knowledge, ability and quality”, has made great strides and emerged as one of the best higher learning institutions in the Asia-Pacific in frontier research and innovation. Having Prof. Mahbubani with us today is a good example of the global vision of MUST. Just as German poet Heinrich Heine said, “Thought precedes action as lighting does thunder.” Prof. Mahbubani, as a diplomat, academic, writer and thinker, is a renowned contributor of thoughts and wisdom to the world. I myself and everyone here today look forward to hearing Professor Mahbubani's views and insights.
The theme of today’s event is “China and the World”. It is a very important topic conducive to our understanding of China's growing role in the world. Today’s China is deeply integrated into the world. For example, in 2019, the number of outbound tourists from China reached nearly 155 million and that of inbound tourists to China was 145 million. As for the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), some 194 million people arrived at or left Macao in 2019. After 22 years since Macao returned to motherland, Macao passport holders today can have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 144 countries and regions, underpinning Macao’s role as an international tourism hub. With exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries ever-expanding, Chinese people are more open and confident in dealing with world affairs.
Under profound changes of the time unseen in a century, what’s happened to the world and how should we respond? Reflecting on these questions of our time, Chinese President Xi Jinping has offered China’s solution, that is, to build a community with a shared future for mankind. This concept is now enshrined in the Constitution of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), as well as international instruments such as UN resolutions, winning worldwide accolades and support. In a world overshadowed by instabilities and uncertainties, China, upholding the banner of building a community with a shared future for mankind, always serves as an anchor for stability and a force for good.
Firstly, China is an anchor for world peace and security. The love for peace is in the DNA of the Chinese people. China has never invaded other countries or engaged in proxy wars, nor have we ever sought spheres of influence or participated in military bloc confrontations. China is the second largest contributor to both regular and peacekeeping budgets of the UN. China advocates the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. On the Ukraine crisis, President Xi Jinping has held six video or phone conversations with leaders of other countries including Russia, the US, France, and Germany. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has held over 20 physical or virtual meetings with his counterparts since February. China always maintains that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries must be respected, and that the purposes and principles of the UN Charter must be observed. China is committed to facilitating dialogue for peace, and believes that the international community should jointly support peace talks between Russia, Ukraine and other relevant parties for early substantive outcomes, so as to deescalate the situation as soon as possible. All parties should exercise maximum restraint, protect civilians and prevent a massive humanitarian crisis. As promised, China has provided emergency humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and will continue to make its efforts to that end. While China is flying humanitarian aid to Ukraine, the US is, unfortunately, shipping weapons there instead.
Secondly, China is an engine for global development. As the world’s second-largest economy from 2010, China has kept ranking first in terms of contribution to global economic growth since 2006. With a population of over 1.4 billion including a middle-income group of more than 400 million, and annual import in goods and services valued at around US$2.5 trillion, China is the largest market in the world. We are in pursuit of the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is the most popular cooperation platform in the world benefiting over 180 member countries and international organizations. According to the World Bank, by 2030, the BRI could help lift 7.6 million people from extreme poverty across the world. We are promoting common prosperity at full blast. For example, we published a guideline last year on building Zhejiang province into a pilot zone for achieving common prosperity. According to the plan, by 2025, 80 percent of the households in Zhejiang will see their annual disposable income reach between US$15,793 and US$78,965. Zhejiang’s example will further spur China’s development momentum and offer the world new approaches in bridging wealth gap and balancing efficiency and equality.
Thirdly, China is a trailblazer in the reform of global governance. China plays a key and leading role in the reform of the global governance system guided by a vision of joint consultation, cooperation and benefit for all, and common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom for humanity. The “Global Development Initiative” (GDI) proposed by President Xi Jinping last year aims at uniting countries to overcome impacts of COVID-19 and address common challenges such as poverty reduction, food security, and industrialization. It has received responses and support from nearly 100 countries as well as the UN agencies and other international organizations. To build a global community of health for all, China has provided more than two billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to over 120 countries and international organizations last year. One in every two shots administered globally is from China. China is also actively engaged in other global governance areas such as climate change, environment and biodiversity protection, and digital technology, shouldering bigger responsibilities for a global system with more justice and sustainability.
Dear friends,
A nation will prosper only when its young people thrive. President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the education of Macao’s young people. In 2018, in a reply letter to higher education institutions in Macao, President Xi Jinping encouraged them to foster more students with love for the motherland. During his five visits to Macao, President Xi Jinping always spent a lot of time communicating personally with local residents and young people. In 2014, President Xi visited the University of Macau and exchanged views with students on a book titled Words of Warning to a Prosperous Age, which was written by famous Chinese reformist and thinker Zheng Guanying during his residence in Macao. The book is highly valued by China’s leadership and inspired generation after generation of Chinese people to devote themselves to the revolution and rejuvenation of our nation.
From this story we can see that Macao is not only a famous international tourism hub, but also a place producing and spreading important thoughts where oriental and western cultures blend. The power of thought is infinite. And the young students are at the best age to absorb, cultivate and create advanced thoughts. Let’s work harder and together to create a sound environment for Macao's young talents to contribute to the long-term prosperity and stability of Macao, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
In conclusion, I’d like to extend my gratitude to MUST and Prof. Mahbubani again. I wish MUST more successes and excellence in the future, and wish China and the world more peace and prosperity.
Thank you!
*Unabridged text provided by the Office of the Foreign Ministry Commission in the Macao SAR; minor edits by The Macau Post Daily
