It is a great pleasure to celebrate with you the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 68th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Norway in this golden autumn. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Norway, I would like to extend sincere greetings and best wishes to all friends who have been following and supporting China's development and are committed to China-Norway friendship.
Earlier this year, China successfully hosted the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games where both China and Norway achieved their best results in history. I would like to express again my heartfelt thanks to all Norwegian friends who have contributed to the development of winter sports in China and the exchanges and cooperation in winter sports between the two countries.
2022 has been an extraordinary year for China and the world. In the face of profound changes and challenges in the world, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative last year, which specifically aims at resolving the pressing international development challenges. This Initative has since received broad support. This year, as a follow up, China announced the establishment of the 4 billion USD Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund in support of implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda in developing countries. In addition, China will waive the 23 interest-free loans for 17 African countries.
In the face of downward pressure on the global economy, China continues to expand high-level opening up, improve business environment, and secure the stability of the global industrial and supply chains. From January to August, foreign investment on China has amounted to 138.41 billion USD, an increase by 20.2%. We have devoted ourselves to a innovation-driven development model, which has resulted in a growth at 20.2% for investment in high-tech industries. For three consecutive years, China ranks number one in the world in terms of total international patent applications.
In the face of the ongoing pandemic, the Chinese government has taken a people-centered approach to best protect its people’s health, safety and life. China’s engagement in international public health cooperation has contributed to better control of the pandemic globally. This includes over 2.2 billion doses of vaccines and large quantities of PPEs and other materials to the international community. China actively shoulders international responsibilities and acts as a trustworthy partner.
In the face of widening world security deficit, China has proposed the Global Security Initiative, which advocates a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. It calls for dialogue instead of confrontation, consultation instead of coercion, partnership instead of alliance, and win-win cooperation instead of zero-sum games, so as to build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture. China has sent out over 40000 peacekeepers, making it the largest contributor of peacekeepers among the permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Over the past year, China-Norway relations have maintained strong vitality. Premier Li Keqiang had a phone call with Prime Minister Støre, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Li Zhanshu had a video meeting with Mr. Gharahkhani, President of the Norwegian Parliament, and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Foreign Minister Huitfeldt in New York not long ago. All these have consolidated the political foundation of our bilateral relations. In the first half of 2022, trade figure between China and Norway has reached nearly 10 billion USD. The dynamics of our bilateral cooperation are vividly illustrated by the Chinese electric cars on the streets of Norway, and Norwegian sea food served on Chinese tables. With regard to scientific cooperation, a Norwegian project has been selected among the first batch of scientific experiments to be carried out on China's space station, and a female scientist from University of Oslo is expected to travel on board in the future.
We share a common destiny as cohabitants of the earth. In the face of the world today characterized by more complexities and uncertainties, should we go down the path of forming small circles and "bloc confrontation", or stick to inclusiveness and win-win cooperation? The choice is obvious. I believe that for China and Norway, firstly, we should work together to build a future-oriented and friendly relationship featuring mutual trust and benefit, transcend ideological barriers, jointly resist Cold War mentality and enrich common interests through deepened dialogue. Secondly, we need to jointly practice true multilateralism. Both sides should stay true to the pledge of the UN Charter, oppose any practice of unilateralism in the name of “multilateralism” and strengthen coordination and cooperation on major international agendas such as climate change, public health and inclusive growth. Thirdly, we should boost connectivity, strengthen the friendship between our peoples and expand cultural, artistic and educational exchanges so that a diverse and objective view towards each other could be formed.
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will be held soon. This conference will draw the blueprint for China's future. No matter how the international situation evolves, China holds the unswerving determination to open wider to the outside world which provides opportunities for all countries including Norway, and will continue to contribute to world peace and stability. China is ready to work with global partners to carry forward the humanity's common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom, and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
I sincerely look forward to your continued participation and strong support for China-Norway cooperation. May the friendship between China and Norway last forever! May the two countries continue to prosper and the two peoples enjoy lasting happiness!
