On September 23, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Chinese Embassy in Fiji Wang Yuan attended the reception of celebrating the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and delivered remarks. The full text is as follows.

Acting President, Chief Justice Honourable Salesi Temo,

Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament,

Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Representatives of International Organizations,

Members of the Chinese Community,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Bula Vinaka! Good evening!

Today is the Autumn Equinox, one of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar. It is also a season of harvest and abundance.

On this beautiful autumn day, with clear skies and a sense of joy in the air, we have gathered here to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Fiji, I warmly welcome all our distinguished guests and friends.

I would also like to extend my best wishes to members of the Chinese community, colleagues from Chinese enterprises in Fiji, Chinese agricultural experts, Chinese teachers, and students from China who are studying here.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Seventy-seven years ago, the People’s Republic of China was founded.

With its founding, China put an end to more than a century of humiliation and foreign aggression, and embarked on a historic journey toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

This year also marks the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people have achieved a remarkable transformation. China has grown from a country that was once poor and underdeveloped to the world’s second-largest economy. It has grown from struggling to meet basic needs of the people to building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

Along the way, China has achieved two remarkable accomplishments rarely seen in the world: rapid economic development and long-term social stability.

Since entering the new era in 2012, under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China has made historic achievements and undergone historic transformation.

Today, the Chinese people are moving forward with confidence toward the goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process.

This year marks the beginning of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan for its economic and social development from 2026 to 2030.

China has the strength and determination to stay the course and see its plans through. With our goals clearly in sight, we will continue to move forward steadily and pragmatically.

The 15th Five-Year Plan is not only a blueprint for China’s own development. It is also an invitation to the rest of the world to work with China.

For many years, China’s economic growth has contributed more than 30 percent of global economic growth, bringing stability and opportunities to the global economy.

In the first half of this year, China’s economy grew by 4.7 percent. Even in the face of international energy shortages and serious disruptions to global supply and industrial chains, the Chinese economy has maintained steady growth. For an uncertain world, this stability is valuable.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Global Development Initiative put forth by President Xi Jinping.

Together with the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, the Global Development Initiative offers a holistic approach to addressing global challenges and provides strategic guidance for building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Over the past five years, the Global Development Initiative has grown from a Chinese proposal into an international consensus, aligning development goals for concrete cooperation.

China believes in openness and cooperation. We want the benefits of innovation to be shared more widely, so that development can bring prosperity to more people around the world.

China is actively promoting innovation in artificial intelligence (AI), helping fellow developing countries build their capacity and making AI technologies and services more accessible.

We are also sharing practical technologies that directly improve people’s lives. Technologies such as hybrid rice and Juncao have helped fellow developing countries reduce poverty and improve livelihoods.

Chinese green products—including wind power equipment, photovoltaic products and new-energy vehicles—are now exported to more than 200 countries and regions. China’s rapidly expanding clean-energy capacity is responding to the global need for climate action and creating new opportunities for countries of the Global South to achieve low-carbon development.

This year also marks the 55th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations.

For 55 years, China, as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, has actively participated in and contributed to the cause of the U.N. China was the first country to sign the U.N. Charter. Today, it is the largest contributor of peacekeeping troops among permanent members of the Security Council, and the second largest contributor to the U.N. regular budget and peacekeeping assessments.

Standing at a new historical starting point, China will continue to work with all other countries to uphold the U.N.-centered international system, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter.

We will also continue to safeguard the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at the center.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Fiji was the first Pacific island country to establish diplomatic relations with China. Over the past 51 years, China-Fiji relations have maintained strong momentum. And over the past year, we have once again seen many highlights in various fields.

First, political mutual trust continues to grow. China and Fiji have continued to understand and support each other on issues concerning our respective core interests and major concerns.

Guided by the important common understandings reached by President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, we are committed to turning our political consensus into more tangible and practical cooperation. We are also strengthening exchanges of experience in governance.

Dialogue and exchanges at different levels and across many fields have continued to deepen. Delegations from our central governments, legislatures and local governments have maintained close exchanges. All of this is helping take our comprehensive strategic partnership to new levels.

Second, development cooperation brings real benefits to people’s lives. The construction of the Vunikura Jetty and Korolevu Jetty aided by China is now being accelerated. The Chinese government has awarded the contract for the contractor responsible for the Vanua Levu road upgrading project. The contractor is expected to arrive in Fiji shortly, with construction set to commence soon.

Starting in 2014, the technical assistance of the China-Aid Juncao Technology Demonstration Centre Project in Fiji has entered the fourth phase. Through its programs, nearly 3,000 local technical professionals have been trained, helping more than 3,500 families see their steady increase of incomes.

This month, agricultural experts from Fujian Province came to Fiji to provide technical training, benefiting hundreds of local farmers. Guangdong Province donated hundreds of solar-powered streetlights to Fiji, helping light up rural roads.

The National Dengue Fever and Other Vector-borne Disease Control Program launched by the GX Foundation of Hong Kong and Ministry of Health and Medical Services of Fiji has also been officially carried out. And just last week, a “Bright Journey” medical team from Guangdong Province came here for the 11th consecutive year to provide free medical services and performed more than 100 cataract surgeries. These are practical examples of how our cooperation is delivering benefits to health and well-being of the Fijian people.

Third, bilateral trade scores greater achievements. Fiji is now China’s third-largest trading partner among the Pacific Island Countries with which China has diplomatic relations. China, in turn, has become Fiji’s second-largest trading partner.

In 2025, our bilateral trade reached US$652 million, an increase of 22.1 percent year on year. Fiji’s exports to China reached US$73 million, an impressive increase of 162 percent. China is making every effort to increase imports from Fiji, with the aim of bringing this year’s imports above US$100 million.

China and Fiji have signed the Framework Agreement on Enhanced Economic Partnership (EEPA). We are actively advancing negotiations on specific issues so that the EEPA can benefit businesses and people in both countries at an early date.

Fourth, people-to-people exchanges are increasingly vibrant. Through Chinese government scholarships and training programs, more and more Fijian students and civil servants have opportunities to study further in China.

Despite the challenges brought by the global fuel crisis, China has remained committed to supporting Fiji’s capacity building. This year alone, over 300 people from Fiji have benefited from training programs of China.

More and more Fijian friends are also learning Chinese. During the Chinese Spring Festival this year, the number of Chinese visitors to Fiji increased by 83 percent compared with the last year. The Chinese in Fiji have also worked together with people from all other communities to host a series of events, including the Chinese New Year Spring Festival Market. The Chinese Education Society just celebrated the founding of Yat Sen Primary School for 90 years and Yat Sen Secondary School for 40 years. Through these activities, they are making their own contribution to Fiji’s economic and social development and to friendship between our two countries.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Looking ahead, I would like to share with you what I expect from China-Fiji relations.

First, let us uphold mutual respect. China believes that all countries, large or small, are equal. This is a long-standing tradition, conviction and principle of China’s diplomacy, and one that we are proud to uphold.

China will continue to grow relations with Pacific Island Countries in accordance with the principle of “four fully respects” put forth by President Xi Jinping.

We appreciate Fiji’s reaffirmation of its firm commitment to the one-China principle, its support for China in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its emphasis on the authority of U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2758. We believe that Fiji will continue to uphold these positions.

China also understands deeply the particular challenges Pacific Island Countries face in addressing climate change. We will continue, within the framework of South-South cooperation, to support Fiji and other Pacific Island Countries in strengthening their capacity to respond to climate change. We wish Fiji every success in hosting the Pre-COP31 meeting.

Second, let us pursue common development. China stands ready to work with Fiji to implement the Global Development Initiative and to strengthen the alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and Fiji’s development strategy. We need deepen mutually beneficial cooperation in infrastructure, trade, investment, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, civil aviation and other areas.

China will provide greater facilitation for high-quality Fijian products to enter the Chinese market, so that Fiji can share in more opportunities offered by China’s mega market.

We will continue to encourage Chinese companies to expand investment in areas such as hospitality, agriculture and mining, creating more jobs and opportunities for local communities.

We should strengthen exchanges of experience in poverty reduction, grassroots governance and other areas, helping Fiji turn its development potential into new drivers of growth.

We should also expand exchanges and cooperation in education, culture, media, youth, sports and local governments. Through learning from each other, we will deepen mutual understanding and strengthen mutual support.

Third, let us stand together in solidarity and cooperation. The world today is facing turbulence and uncertainty. The global development deficit continues to widen. Challenges such as climate change, the digital divide, food security and energy security are cropping up.

President Xi Jinping has emphasized that global solidarity and cooperation represents the only right path forward. The Pacific is vast enough for all countries to cooperate, prosper and succeed together. When engaging with Fiji and other Pacific Island Countries, the international community should put the most urgent priorities first—climate change, economic development, improving livelihoods and maintaining social stability.

We should uphold and practice true multilateralism. We need work together to build a fairer and more equitable system of global governance. And we need move forward together toward the goal of building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Friends,

In just two days, we will celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional Chinese festival that symbolizes family reunion.

One happy occasion following another, I sincerely wish the people of China and Fiji peace, happiness and prosperity.

Now I would like to propose a toast:

To the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China;

To the friendship and cooperation between China and Fiji;and

To the health and happiness of all our guests and friends.

Cheers!