On October 1st, 2020, Indian mainstream media The Hindu and The Business Line published special page on the 71st anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The special page contained Chinese Ambassador H.E. Sun Weidong's National Day Message, China’s Achievements 2020 and Fighting COVID-19: China in Action.

1. Ambassador's Message

On the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, I would like to extend my sincerest blessings to my motherland and wish her prosperity and our people happiness and well-being.

2020 is a special year for China, a year with a difficult start, and a year of inspiring spirit and forging ahead. In the past 9 months and more, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has led the Chinese people in fighting a fierce battle against COVID-19 and creating a remarkable feat in humankind’s struggle against diseases. China has coordinated epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development, and restarted normal work and life in an orderly manner with remarkable achievements. This struggle against COVID-19 epitomizes China’s character, strength and responsibility.

2020 is a year of milestone significance for China. We will finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and realize the first centenary goal in 2020. This year is also crucial in winning the anti-poverty battle. We are determined to secure a victory in the battle against poverty. All poor people and counties under the current standard will be lifted out of poverty as scheduled. This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The great spirit of resisting aggression bred during the war is an invaluable source of inspiration and will always motivate the Chinese people to overcome all difficulties and obstacles and strive to achieve national rejuvenation.

We owe what we have achieved in COVID-19 prevention and control and economic and social development to the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, the sound guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and the concerted efforts of the Party, the armed forces, and the people of all ethnic groups in China.

The year 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. The international community should seize this important opportunity, reject unilateralism, hegemonism and power politics, resolutely champion multilateralism, safeguard the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and jointly defend the UN-centered international system and the international order based on international law. China will follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, pursue the grand vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, unswervingly follow the path of peaceful development,  continue to promote international cooperation in fighting COVID-19, expand mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries in opening up, work together to address global challenges and jointly create a better future for mankind.

The year 2020 also marks the 70th anniversary of China-India diplomatic ties. The bilateral relations have withstood test and made hard-won progress. With wisdom and painstaking efforts of generations, we should cherish what we have achieved today. We have provided each other strong support and assistance in fighting COVID-19 since its outbreak. Now China-India relations are facing a complex situation, but the general trend of friendship and cooperation between the two countries should not be changed. As two major neighboring countries, China and India should put differences in a proper context vis-a-vis bilateral relations and take guidance from the strategic consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries that China and India are not competitive rivals or each other’s threats, but cooperation partners and each other’s developmental opportunities. We should meet each other half way, expand positive dimension of cooperation, promote communication and understanding between the two peoples, and bring the bilateral relations back on the right track for a sound and steady development.

I believe, as long as we draw wisdom from our civilizations of thousands years, follow the direction of “enhancing mutual trust, focusing on cooperation, managing differences and seeking common development”, and continue to make efforts to transmit the leaders’ consensus to all levels, we will certainly be able to explore a way for neighboring and emerging major countries to get along with each other.

2. China’s Achievements 2020

Economy

In 2019, China's GDP reached 99.1 trillion RMB Yuan (around US$14.2 trillion), an increase of 6.1%, and per capita disposable income of China's residents exceeded 30,000 RMB Yuan (around US$4350). This year China's economy has shown strong resilience despite negative impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. Its GDP growth rate turned from negative to positive in the second quarter, with a year-on-year growth of 3.2%, and key economic indicators continue to move in a positive direction in recent months.

China's infrastructure construction continues to be consolidated. As of the end of July, 2020, China’s operational railway length reached 141,400 km, ranking 2nd in the world, while the high-speed rail network topped the world with a total length of 36,000 km, around 70% of global high-speed rail network. Chinese companies continue to grow. 124 companies based on Chinese mainland and Hong Kong appeared on latest Fortune Global 500 list, exceeding 121 companies from the US and ranking 1st in the world.

China's reform and opening up has accelerated. In Doing Business 2018 report, China ranked 78th among the economies around the world, improving to 31st position in Doing Business 2020, and has been included among the top 10 fastest global reformers for two years in a row. The 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services held in Beijing this September attracted 22,000 enterprises and institutions from 148 countries and regions. China has shown the world its determination and confidence to expand opening up and achieve win-win cooperation.

Society

China's urbanization process is progressing steadily. At the end of 2019, permanent urban residents in China numbered 848.43 million, accounting for 60.6% of the total population. This was the first time the figure exceeded 60%. China has completed 62.7% of its annual target of new urban jobs, with 5.74 million such jobs created in the year's first half.

The average life expectancy of Chinese residents increased to 77.3 years in 2019. At the end of 2019, the total number of medical and health institutions nationwide reached 100,7545, with 8.807 million beds, and the total number of health personnel nationwide reached 12.928 million. In 2019, the number of students in compulsory education enjoying living allowances increased by nearly 40%, and higher vocational education enrollment expanded by one million. The number of graduate students studying in school is expected to exceed 3 million in 2020, and the cumulative number has reached more than 10 million over the past 71 years. By the end of 2019, China had 1.319 billion mobile internet users, accounting for 32.17% of the world's total.

China attaches great importance to gender equality and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of women. Women’s education level has been significantly improved. The number of female scientific and technological workers in China has increased to about 36 million, accounting for nearly 40%. There were about 28,000 female medical workers who aided Hubei, accounting for two-thirds of all staff. China has made important contribution to women's development in the world. With a donation of US$10 million to UN Women, China is the largest contributor among developing countries. It has completed 133 health projects for women and children and invited over 30,000 women from other developing countries to training programs in China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping inspected poverty alleviation work in a tea farm of Laoxian Township, Pingli County of the city of Ankang, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, April 21, 2020.

Poverty Eradication

As the world's largest developing country, China takes poverty eradication as a central priority. China has successfully lifted more than 700 million people out of poverty during the 4-decade-and-more Reform and Opening Up, accounting for over 70 percent of poverty reduction worldwide in the same period. From end of 2012 to end of 2019, impoverished population in China had reduced from 98.99 million to 5.51 million with poverty incidence rate dropping from 10.2 percent to 0.6 percent. For 7 years in a row, 10 million plus people were helped out of poverty annually.

In the past 7 years, rural per capita disposable income in 832 poverty-stricken counties has increased to 11,567 RMB Yuan (around US$1677.22) from 6,079 RMB Yuan (around US$881.45), averaging a yearly growth rate of 9.7 percent. Tarmac and cement roads have been paved in all administrative villages where conditions allow. All villages have had clinics and medical practitioners. Over 99.9 percent of registered poor population have been covered by the basic medical care insurance. Reliability ratio of rural power grid has reached 99 percent. Teaching conditions of 108,000 compulsory education schools have been improved.

China actively participates in global poverty alleviation. China has assisted other developing countries with 180 poverty reduction projects, 118 agricultural cooperation projects, 178 aid-for-trade projects, 103 projects on ecological conservation and climate change, 134 hospitals and clinics, and 123 educational and vocational training institutes. This year, China will overcome the impact of COVID-19 epidemic, win the battle against poverty, and achieve, 10 years ahead of schedule, the Sustainable Development Goal of ending extreme poverty, thus making historic contribution to the global fight against poverty and efforts for peace and development.

Science & Technology

The 2020 Global Innovation Index Report released by the World Intellectual Property Organization shows that China ranks 14th on the Global Innovation Index list and is the only middle-income economy in the top 30. In 2019, China’s total expenditure on R&D amounted to 2.21 trillion RMB Yuan  (around US$ 320.45 billion), and it has remained in 2nd place in terms of R&D spending worldwide. The R&D spending amounted to 2.23% of GDP, and the number of R&D personnel ranked first in the world.

In 2020, China has made a series of major breakthroughs in high-tech fields. In May, China's new large carrier rocket Long March-5B made its maiden flight, sending the trial version of China's new-generation manned spaceship and a cargo return capsule for test into space, which inaugurated the construction of a space station. In June, China launched the last satellite belonging to the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, which marked the completion of the deployment of its own global navigation system, making China the third country with an independent satellite navigation system. In July, China launched its first-ever interplanetary Mars mission, the Tianwen-1, starting China's great journey to explore Mars. In September, China successfully launched a reusable experimental spacecraft which returned to the scheduled landing site after a two-day in-orbit operation, marking major breakthrough in reusable spacecraft research.

The first ever Mars probe (Tianwen-1) was launched on a Long March-5 rocket from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China's Hainan Province, July 23, 2020.

Chinese researchers have been fully engaged in scientific research on the COVID-19 prevention and control, and cooperated with more than 40 countries around the world on developing vaccines. At present, 11 COVID-19 vaccines have entered the clinical trial stage, among which 4 have entered Phase-III clinical trials.

Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed a high-level meeting to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations via video on Sept. 21, 2020.

Diplomacy

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 epidemic, President Xi Jinping attended the G20 Extraordinary Leaders’ Summit on Covid-19, the 73rd World Health Assembly and the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against Covid-19. He announced a series of major measures that China would take in supporting the global fight against the virus and economic and social recovery, including US$2 billion of international aid over two years, and the Covid-19 vaccine to be used as a global public product once it is developed and deployed in China. He called for strengthening global governance in public health and increasing support to developing countries especially African countries.

President Xi also attended the 5th annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, making suggestions for AIIB to grow into a new platform that promotes development for all its members and facilitates the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. He co-hosted a China-Germany-EU leaders' meeting, charting the course for the development of China-EU relations in next stage. He participated in a series of high-level meetings for the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, calling for upholding multilateralism and jointly building a community with a shared future for mankind.

China issued its Position Paper on the 75th anniversary of the UN, introducing how China has actively shouldered its responsibilities and made its contribution as a major country. China has dispatched more than 40,000 peacekeepers to over 30 missions, contributing more peacekeepers than any other permanent member of the Security Council. China has registered an 8,000-strong standby force and a 300-member permanent police squad for UN peacekeeping missions. China has the biggest standby force and most varieties of contingents among all UN Member States. The China-UN Peace and Development Fund has provided a total of US$67.7 million for over 80 projects, supporting the UN's efforts in areas such as peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, health and education.

3. Fighting COVID-19: China in Action

The Covid-19 epidemic is a major public health emergency, which has spread faster and wider than any other and been the most difficult to contain since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. The Chinese Government has addressed the epidemic as a top priority and taken swift actions. General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President Xi Jinping has taken personal command and planned the response. The whole nation has waged an all-out people’s war on the virus.

China has put the people’s interests and lives first. In little more than a single month, the rising spread of the virus was contained. In around two months, the daily increase in domestic coronavirus cases fell to single digit. In around three months, a decisive victory was secured in the battle to defend Hubei Province and its capital city of Wuhan. Thereafter several battles against concentrated epidemic outbreaks in local areas were won successively, and major strategic achievements in nationwide fight against the virus has been achieved.

President Xi Jinping, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, presented medals to the recipient of the Medal of the Republic Zhong Nanshan (2nd R, front), and recipients of the national honorary title, "the People's Hero," Zhang Boli (2nd L, front), Zhang Dingyu (1st R, front) and Chen Wei (1st L, front), at a meeting commending role models in the country's fight against the COVID-19 epidemic at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept 8, 2020.

The CPC Central Committee has overseen the general situation, acted decisively and implemented centralized and unified leadership timely. The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Political Bureau held 21 meetings to discuss and make decisions. The CPC Central Committee set up a leading group for Covid-19 prevention and control and sent the Central Steering Group to Hubei. The State Council Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism was established. We never missed a single infected case nor gave up even one patient. All costs were covered by the state. As of September 10, 2020, China’s Covid-19 overall recovery rate reached 94.37%. We care about Chinese citizens overseas. Chinese embassies and consulates abroad have provided “health kits” to them and helped those in difficulties return home.

The Chinese people have joined together as one and united their efforts. China rallied 346 national medical teams with 42,600 medical workers to aid Hubei and Wuhan immediately. 19 provinces and equivalent administrative units assisted 16 cities in Hubei except Wuhan in the form of paired assistance. 40,000 construction workers and several thousand sets of machinery and equipment were mobilized to build two hospitals. The construction of the 1,000-bed Huoshenshan Hospital was completed in just 10 days, and that of the 1,600-bed Leishenshan Hospital in just 12 days. In little more than 10 days, 16 temporary treatment centers providing over 14,000 beds were built. More than 4.6 million CPC primary-level organizations rallied and served the general public. More than 39 million CPC members fought the virus at the front line. More than 4 million community workers worked day and night in around 650,000 urban and rural communities. China mobilized the people, enhanced R&D, procured supplies and brought them to those in need rapidly. It pooled all its strength in the shortest period of time and halted the spread of the epidemic.

We have been coordinating epidemic prevention and control with social and economic development. The Central Government has adopted a host of policies to reduce the burdens of businesses. Many measures such as strengthening employment as priority, promoting investment and consumption, stabilizing foreign trade, foreign investment, industrial and supply chains were introduced. Development of new forms of business was encouraged. The transportation, catering, supermarkets, culture activities, tourism and other industries have been resumed. Students return to school to continue studies. China becomes the first major economy to recover, with economic development stabilizing and improving, work and normal life resuming.  

China has been working together with the rest of the world to defeat Covid-19 outbreak. In an open, transparent, and responsible manner, China gave timely notification to the international community of the onset of a new coronavirus, timely released the genome sequence of the novel coronavirus, and timely released diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control solutions. China has conducted more than 70 exchanges with many countries, international and regional organizations. China established online knowledge center open for all countries, sharing prevention, control and treatment experiences without reservation. China has provided as much assistance to the international community as it can. It has donated two batches of cash funds totaling US$50 million to the WHO, sent 34 medical expert teams to 32 countries, provided 283 batches of anti-epidemic assistance to 150 countries and 4 international organizations, offered or exported anti-epidemic materials to over 200 countries and regions. China calls for a joint effort to build a global community of health for all, and puts forward a series of propositions on international assistance and vaccine use. China has helped save the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world with concrete actions, demonstrating China's sincere desire to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

The epidemic will have a significant impact on the development of humanity, but the people’s longing for a happy life will remain unchanged. Peace, development, and win-win cooperation will prevail. The sun will always shine again after a storm. As long as peoples in the world cherish hopes and dreams, embrace the idea of a global community of shared future, and unite in pursuit of a common goal, we will overcome all current difficulties and challenges and build a better world for all.

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