Speech by H. E. Ambassador Zhang Weidong

at the National Economic Symposium of the FSM

 (Weno,Chuuk,February 8, 2011)

Rananim! Good Morning!

First of all, I would like to express my respect to the traditional leaders in the Chuuk State and all over the FSM. Secondly, I would like to thank H. E. President Mori and the National Government and the State Governments of the FSM for inviting me to this symposium.

This is a very important symposium. Firstly, it is important because it is convened when the economic globalization has developed into a new stage. It brings advantages and disadvantages to different countries in the world. We shall have a discussion and see how we shall deal with the globalization. Secondly, it is important because it is convened when we have just entered the second decade of the 21^st century. In the last ten years of the first decade, we have come across many difficulties and twists and turns, including the Asian economic crisis and the World economic crisis started in the USA, and many natural disasters as well. How shall we proceed and what we shall do in the second ten years of the 21^st century? We need to discuss. Thirdly, it is important because it is convened when the world economy is recovering but slowly and we are still facing with many challenges, including climate change, high price of oil and many other problems relating to our economy. We shall discuss how to address them and keep our economy develop further. 

 I am here to listen and learn. And I have already learned a lot by listening to the speeches made yesterday. I was not prepared to speak here. But yesterday, the co-chairmen came to me and asked whether I could say something. Last night, after taking part in two functions I went back to my hotel and thought what I shall talk about. Then, I had a dream. I dreamed that I should say something about China's way of development or the mode of development of China.

China is an old country. It is an old country with a history of 5000 years. China is also a new and young country. The new China was founded only 61 years ago, in 1949. In the past 61 years, the latest 32 years is a very important period in the development of China. 32 years ago, in 1978, China adopted the policy of reform and opening up to the outside world. In Chinese, it is called gai ge kai fang, only four characters. But they mean a lot. A noteworthy achievement has accomplished by China in the reform and opening up over the past 32 years. The Chinese economy has developed very fast and now it's aggregate economic volume has become no.2 in the world. How come this result? It relies on the Chinese way of development. There can be diverse modes of development in the humanity's road to modernization. The way that China has chosen is a way of development with Chinese characteristics. It is meant a mode with special features which China has gradually shaped in the course of practice as it proceeded from its threefold nature as a developing country + a country in transition + a socialist country, based on its special national conditions and making the building of a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized and harmonious modern country its goal. It encompassed five main aspects:

A.                         It takes as its core the promotion of the wellbeing and all-round development of the world's largest population. China's current population exceeds 1.3 billion, with a net annual increase of approximately seven million in recent years. Taking this as the basis for calculation, the net population increase over a period of 10 years would be around 70 million, surpassing the current population of the UK, which stands at 60.78 million. That is to say that there will be a UK born in China every ten years. We have to try hard to feed this big population, to solve the problem of food, clothing, housing and so on. It is not so easy. But it is our main purpose of development.

B.                         It fully taps into the enormous institutional potential of the effort to combine the socialist system with Chinese characteristics with a modern market economy.

C.                         It strives to bring into full play its advantages, such as its rich labor resources, a vast market and a late-coming country.

D.                         It makes efforts to push forward the process of industrialization, informatization, urbanization, marketization and internationalization, all with Chinese characteristics.

E.                          It aims to achieve a degree of harmony on a wider scale between economic and social development, and between man and nature, as well as an all-round human development, so as to make its own contributions to the development of human civilization.  We are not concentrated on economic development alone, we seek also the realization of social development, sustainable development, political development and human development.

The Chinese way of development is one of the many modes in the world and I don't want to say that it is the best, but it is the most suitable way to China. In China we have a saying, Seek truth from facts. We have chosen our way according to our own condition. We open our minds and learn from all the good things in the world but we do not copy any one.

Just now I said I had a dream. I was quoting the speech by Mr. Martin Luther King. Before 1978, we could only have the works of Chinese leaders to read and after 1978, we are open to the outside world and we could read a lot, including speeches by Franklin, Roosevelt, Churchill and one of the most impressive speeches to me is that of Martin Luther King's I have a Dream. We all have dreams. China has its dream and the FSM also has its dream. In order to fulfill our dreams, I think, we shall do three things. First, we must have a dream. Second, we must work hard for that dream. Third, we must work united for that dream and work step by step to realize that dream. There is a Chinese saying goes, "You can not become a fat man by one meal". Certainly, nowadays to be fat is not good. Everybody wants to be slim. So we can say that you cannot become slim by doing exercises once. I wish everybody of you slim and keep fit and healthy.

Thank you very much!