Dear teachers, students, and friends,

Good afternoon！Namaste！

It gives me great pleasure to be back at Jawaharlal Nehru University, gathering with all of you to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival in the Year of the Horse. In Chinese culture, the horse symbolizes diligence, endeavor and success. On this auspicious occasion, I would like to extend my best wishes to all the friends present here, as well as to the faculty and students of the university. May you take the lead in the Year of the Horse and achieve great success in all your endeavors.

Last March, I had the opportunity to visit Jawaharlal Nehru University. That was my first visit to an Indian university after I assumed my post as Chinese Ambassador to India, and it left me with very fond memories. As one of India’s most prestigious universities, Jawaharlal Nehru University has long been committed to Chinese language education and China studies. It has actively promoted exchanges between China and India, making positive contributions to the development of bilateral relations. The Center for Chinese Studies, in particular, has used language as a bridge to cultivate a large number of talented young people with strong Chinese language proficiency and a deep understanding of China and its culture, thus playing an important role in deepening mutual understanding between our two peoples.

I am very delighted to see that the Center for Chinese Studies has be officially inaugurated today. I would like to extend my warmest congratulations on this momentous occasion. The renaming fully demonstrates the international vision and strategic foresight of the university’s leadership and embodies the university’s strong commitment to advancing Chinese language education and actively promoting friendly exchanges between China and India. I am confident that the Center for Chinese Studies will become an important platform for academic exchanges, cultural dialogue and youth interactions between our two countries.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Professor B. R. Deepak of the Center for Chinese Studies on the publication of his latest translated works. Professor Deepak has long been committed to the research and dissemination of Chinese culture, with rigorous scholarship and fruitful achievements. The Four Books and other works are classic representatives and spiritual treasures of traditional Chinese culture. The publications have opened a new window for Indian readers to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, and will help more Indian friends appreciate China’s profound intellectual traditions and unique spiritual character.

Dear teachers, students, and friends,

China and India are both ancient civilizations and major developing countries. China and India are partners in cooperation, not rivals; we are each other’s development opportunities rather than threats. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, China-India relations have achieved a reset and fresh start, and now enters a stage of further enhancement. Exchanges at all levels have become more frequent. Economic and trade cooperation has reached new heights. People-to-people exchanges have become more active. The prospects for cooperation are very promising. We stand ready to work with Indian friends to further deepen friendly exchanges and cooperation in various fields, and promote the sustained, sound and steady growth of China-India relations along the right track.

Earlier this month, China successfully convened the Two Sessions, the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, where a resolution on the Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development was adopted. China has fully embarked on a new journey under the 15th Five-Year Plan, focusing on key areas such as high-quality development, scientific and technological innovation, green transition, and improvement of people’s wellbeing. We are striving to write a new chapter in national development. China’s development not only benefits the Chinese people, but will surely bring more cooperation opportunities and development space to countries around the world, including India.

All the students present here are from the Center for Chinese Studies. By choosing to learn the Chinese language, you have chosen to draw closer to China, embrace new opportunities, and become envoys of friendship between China and India. We are delighted to see that every year many students from Jawaharlal Nehru University receive Chinese Government Scholarships to study in China. We kept spotting you all around in various activities hosted by the Chinese Embassy. In the new year, I hope you will continue to be inheritors of the cause of China-India friendship, help the people of our two countries develop an objective, rational and correct understanding of each other, and inject youthful vitality into the friendly exchanges between China and India. The Chinese Embassy will, as always, provide support and assistance. We look forward to working together with all of you to create an even brighter future for China-India relations!

Finally, may I once again wish you all a happy Chinese New Year, academic progress and good health! May the Center for Chinese Studies scale new heights! May Jawaharlal Nehru University embrace new achievements!

Thank you! Dhanyavaad!