Distinguished Guests,

Ladies, Gentlemen and Friends,

Good evening!

First of all, my wife Tan Yuxiu and I would like to thank you all for attending today’s reception. I would also like to welcome Mr. Kong Xianhua and Mr. Xu Wei, Chinese Consul-Generals in Mumbai and Kolkata to join us tonight.

Ten years ago, I shortly worked in New Delhi for a month, and that was my first visit to the “Incredible India.”  Now at a critical stage of the development of China-India relations, I am very honored to be appointed by President Xi Jinping as the 17th Chinese Ambassador to India. I look forward to working with Indian friends from all walks of life to promote China-India relations. 

Since I took office nearly two months ago, I have met with many Indian friends and listened to their views on China-India relations. I feel that despite the difficulties and challenges, we all recognize the importance of bilateral relations, and have confidence in their prospects.

The confidence comes from the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries.President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attach great importance to China-India relations. They reached important consensus that China and India are cooperation partners and development opportunities, not competitors or threats, and charted the course for the development of bilateral relations. In the congratulatory message to Prime Minister Modi, Premier Li Qiang also emphasized that a sound and steady China-India relationship is conducive to the two peoples, the region and the world. We should stick to these important consensus, and push China-India relations back on the right track at an early date.

The confidence comes from the practical need for mutually beneficial cooperation. Both China and India are major developing countries and emerging economies. We are highly complementary in economy, and have great potential for cooperation. China is India’s largest trading partner, with a bilateral trade volume of 136.2 billion USD last year. There are many Indian friends visiting China every day, and 80% are for business purpose. This fully shows the vitality of economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

The confidence comes from the solid foundation of people-to-people friendship. China and India enjoy a long history of friendly exchanges. In China, Dr. Kotnis and Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore are well-known, and Bollywood films and Yoga enjoy great popularity. In India, we can always feel the support from the Indian people for the development of China-India relations. The Chinese people are willing to be friends and development partners with the Indian people forever.

Dear friends,

The world is undergoing changes unseen in a century. The futures of all countries are linked more closely. China and India are both major countries with ancient civilizations. We have the wisdom and capabilities to find the way for major neighboring countries to get along well. Seven decades ago, China, India and Myanmar jointly advocated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. It answered the important question of how to handle state-to-state relations, and also became the “golden key”  to guide the development of China-India relations.

A few days ago, the Conference Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence was held in Beijing. Some Indian friends were also invited to participate. President Xi Jinping delivered an important address at the Conference. He expounded on the essence of the Five Principles and their relevance for our times, and pointed to the direction for building a community with a shared future for mankind. He underlined the need of all countries in the world to uphold the principle of sovereign equality, cement the foundation of mutual respect, turn the vision for peace and security into reality, unite all forces to achieve prosperity, commit to fairness and justice, and embrace an open and inclusive mindset. He said that the Global South should be more open and more inclusive, and join hands together to take the lead in building a community with a shared future for mankind. China stands ready to work with India and other sides to carry forward the spirit of the Five Principles, shoulder the responsibility of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and make unremitting efforts toward a brighter future of humanity.

Dear friends,

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “the future depends on what we do in the present”. A Chinese proverb also says, “with effort, one can achieve anything”. The improvement and development of bilateral relations will not come naturally like the monsoon in New Delhi. It can’t happen without the joint efforts of both sides. We should implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, and turn it into concrete policies and concerted actions.

First of all, we should enhance political mutual trust.We should view each other’s development and strategic intention objectively and correctly, and firmly grasp the general direction of the development of bilateral relations. We hope that both China and India can develop well. We are glad to see India make consistent achievements in nation-building, and play a constructive role in international and regional affairs. The two sides should continue to promote dialogues at different levels and in various fields, and enhance understanding and mutual trust through communication. We should mutually support and help each other succeed, so as to achieve the common development and revitalization of our two countries.

Secondly, we should advance exchanges and cooperation.The Chinese side welcomes more Indian commodity to enter the Chinese market, and more Indian enterprises to invest in China. It is also hoped that the Indian side could provide sound business environment for the Chinese enterprises in India. We should take more measures to facilitate exchanges and cooperation in the fields of think tanks, media, culture, education, technology and tourism. In particular, we should attach great importance to the exchanges between the youth, and advance China-India friendship from generation to generation.

Thirdly, we should properly manage differences. China and India are neighbors, and it is normal for neighbors to have differences. The key is to properly handle them. We should mutually respect and accommodate each other’s core interests and major concerns, manage differences through dialogue and consultation, and properly handle the pending issues between the two countries. At the meantime, we should not only focus on the differences, nor should we let them disturb our development process and overall bilateral relations.

Fourthly, we should cooperate closely in international fora. President Xi Jinping pointed out that “if China and India speak with one voice, the whole world will listen; and if we join hands, the whole world will pay attention”. The two sides should uphold independent foreign policies, and enhance communication and coordination on international and regional affairs. We should jointly call for an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, so as to safeguard the common interests of the developing countries, and usher in a bright future for the world.

Dear friends,

China and India are close neighbors. If we only look through our own perspective, neither of us can see the whole picture of the Himalayas. Only if we stand high, can we look far with vision and conviction. I deeply believe that, under the guidance of our two leaders and with the joint efforts of the two peoples, China-India relations will definitely proceed further along the sound and stable track, and bring more benefits to our two peoples and the world.

Now, my wife Tan Yuxiu and I would like to propose a toast:

To the prosperity of China and India,

To the good-neighborly and friendly relations between China and India,

To the good health of all friends,

Cheers!