------Speech
by President Hu Jintao of China at the Opening Ceremony of the
Boao Forum for Asia 2004 Annual Conference.
Honorable Guests, Friends, Ladies and gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to attend the Boao Forum for Asia
2004 Annual Conference today. Let me begin by extending, on behalfof
the Chinese government, my warmest welcome to all of you present
here.
In the past few years, with the support of the fellow Asian countries
and the larger international community, the Boao Forum for Asia
has developed steadily, playing an increasingly prominent role
in regional cooperation and demonstrating to the rest of the world
the fervent desire of the Asian people for a win-win scenario
through closer cooperation.
Coming into the 21st century, the international situation has
continued to undergo profound and complicated changes. World multipolarization
and economic globalization are progressing amid twists and turns.
Science and technology are advancing with each passing day. We
have before us both development opportunities thatwe must seize
and grave challenges that we must deal with. Despitethe widespread
conflicts and clashes of interest and increasing numbers of factors
of uncertainty and instability, peace and development remain the
overriding themes of the times. The world needs peace, countries
desire development and people want cooperation. This has become
an irresistible trend of history.
We are glad to see that Asia has, on the whole, enjoyed stability,
with peace, development and cooperation becoming the mainstream
of an advancing Asia. With concerted efforts, Asian countries
have freed themselves from the shadow of the financial crisis,
overcome the impact of SARS and bird flu, succeeded in domestic
economic restructuring, and quickened the tempo of industrial
upgrading and transformation, promoted a robust regional cooperation,
and increased the capacity to tide over potential risks. Asia
retains its position as one of the world's most dynamic regions
and a key growth point in global trade. All this gives us much
confidence about Asia's future.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Both in history and the present-day world, a country can emergevictorious
from tough international competition and enjoy faster development
only when it gets along with the tide of the times, seizes the
opportunities for development, blazes a trail suited toits national
conditions and relies on wisdom and resourcefulness of its own
people.
In the past 25 years, while pressing ahead with reform and opening
up, China has put initially in place a socialist market economy,
an economy that is open to the outside world. China's productive
forces and overall national strength have been constantly enhanced.
With various social undertakings developing in full swing, the
Chinese people as a whole have made the historical leap from subsistence
to modest prosperity. In the course of 25 years between 1978 and
2003, China's economy grew by an average annual rate of 9.4 percent,
with its GDP, foreign tradeand foreign exchange reserves jumping
from 147.3 billion US dollars, 20.6 billion US dollars and 167
million US dollars to over 1.4 trillion US dollars, 851.2 billion
US dollars and 403.3 billion US dollars respectively. China now
is the world's sixth largest economy and the fourth largest trader.
The reason why China has produced such tremendous changes is because
we have adhered to the road of building socialism with Chinese
characteristics and persevered in reform and opening-up, thus
galvanizing the Chinese people's initiative, enthusiasm and creativity.
Though China has achieved impressive results in its development,there
are still many acute problems, such as overpopulation, weak economic
foundation, underdeveloped productivity, highly uneven development,
and a fairly sharp contradiction between the country's ecological
environment and natural resources on the one hand andits economic
and social development on the other. China's per capita GDP, though
reaching the record high of 1,000 US dollars last year, still
ranks behind the 100th place in the world. To make China's modernization
program a success and deliver a prosperous life for all the Chinese
people still requires a long and uphill battle.
We have already set a clear goal for the first 20 years of thiscentury.
Namely, in building a well-off society of a higher standard in
an al-round way for the benefit of well over one billion Chinese
people, we will quadruple the 2000 GDP to 4 trillion US dollars
with a per capita GDP of 3,000 US dollars, further develop the
economy, improve democracy, advance science and education, enrich
culture, foster greater social harmony and upgrade the texture
of life for the people.
To achieve this goal, we will continue to follow the guidance
of Deng Xiaoping theory and the important thoughts of the "Three
Represents" and conscientiously act, in an all-round way,
on the concept of people-oriented, comprehensive, coordinated
and sustainable development. This scientific concept of development
crystallizes the successful experience of China's reform, opening-up
and modernization drive in the past 25 years and that of the other
countries in their course of development, and reflects a newunderstanding
of the issue of development by the Chinese Government and people.
We will take economic development as our top priority, aim ourselves
to the all-round development of man, and follow a development
path characterized by high productivity, affluent life and sound
eco-system by properly balancing urban andrural development, development
among regions, economic and social development, development of
man and nature, and domestic development and opening to the outside
world.
To achieve this goal, we will continue to push vigorously our
reform and opening-up program, concentrating on building and perfecting
our socialist market economy and making it more dynamicand more
open to the outside world. Taking the initiative in our own hands
with independence and self-reliance in development is animportant
experience of ours. We persevere in reform, because we need to
remove the institutional barriers that impede the development
of productive forces and unleash the dynamism that exist in our
society for development and creativity. In so doing, we mainly
rely on institutional and technological innovation, on expanding
domestic demand and on increasing the professional aptitude of
our citizens. In the meantime, we firmly stick to our opening-up
policy, taking an active part in international economicand technology
cooperation, and making contribution to China's owndevelopment
and the common development in the world.
On our road to progress, we are still encountering the multitude
of contradictions and problems, and the various risks and challenges.
However, the Chinese people have the confidence and the capability
to overcome all kinds of hardships and difficulties and make China's
modernization and great rejuvenationa reality.
Ladies and gentlemen,
China is an Asian country. China's development is closely related
to Asia's prosperity. China has, and will continue to makea positive
impact on Asia in the area of development.
A developing China generates important opportunities for Asia.
As the world's biggest potential market, China has presided over
in the past 25 years a steadily expanding and maturing market
with import growing at an average annual rate of over 15 percent,
whichhas made China the third largest importer globally and the
largestimporter in Asia. In 2003, China imported from the rest
of Asia a total of 272.9 billion US dollars worth of merchandise,
up by 42.4percent, with imports from ASEAN, Japan, ROK and India
increasing by over 35 percent. Direct investment in the rest of
Asia by Chinahas risen at an average annual rate of 20 percent
in recent years.In 2003, more than 20 million outbound visits
were made by Chinesenationals, as more and more Chinese tourists
made Asian countries and regions their choice destinations.
With China's development, the size of its market and its overseas
investment will grow even larger and still more Chinese will travel
to the other parts of Asia for sightseeing, business and visit.
China's economy will integrate still more closely with Asian economy,
giving rise to a new type of partnership characterized by mutual
benefit, mutual complement and mutual assistance.
China's development contributes to peace and stability in Asia.
A stable and prosperous China is in itself an important contribution
to peace and stability in Asia. China since ancient times has
had a fine tradition of sincerity, benevolence, kindness and trust
towards the neighbors. The very purpose of China's foreign policy
is to maintain world peace and promote common development. China
always practices what it preaches. Persisting in building good-neighborlyrelationships
and partnership with the neighboring countries, we pursue a policy
of bringing harmony, security and prosperity to neighbors and
dedicate ourselves to strengthening mutual trust andcooperation
with the fellow Asian countries, easing up hot spot tensions,
and striving to maintain peace and tranquillity in Asia.
China's development injects fresh vigor to regional cooperation
in Asia. China has been extensively involved in the various mechanisms
of Asia-based regional cooperation, emphasizingits cooperation
and coordination with all the parties and promoting regional economic
integration. China has joined the fellow Asian countries in discussing
the possibility of free tradeareas, conducting various forms of
security dialogues and cementing cooperation on the bilateral
level while promoting regional cooperation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is China's sincere wish to cultivate with the fellow Asian
countries an overall and close partnership geared to Asian rejuvenation,
a partnership that features equality and mutual trust politically,
mutual benefit and win-win economically, exchange and emulation
culturally, and dialogue and cooperation onthe security front.
To this end, China will take the following steps:
First, enhancing friendship and political trust and good-neighborliness.
China will develop partnerships with other Asian countries on
the basis of the UN Charter and the Five Principles of Peaceful
Coexistence, treating all countries as equals irrespective of
size and committing to settling whatever disputes there might
be through dialogue. China hopes to see stronger high-level ties
and interactions at other levels with other fellow Asian countries,
and more timely consultations and coordination onmajor international
and regional issues.
Second, expanding and deepening bilateral economic cooperation.China
is ready to develop all-round economic cooperation with fellow
Asian countries with emphasis on trade, investment, naturalresources,
information, pharmaceuticals, health service, environmental protection,
transportation, science and technology, agriculture, poverty alleviation,
and development of human resources. China will continue taking
practical steps to help other developing Asian countries with
their economic development through preferential policies. China
will encourage its enterprises to take Asia as their principal
destination for "going global" strategy, and combines
its western development strategy and the Northeast rejuvenation
strategy with strengthenedeconomic cooperation with the neighboring
countries.
Third, accelerating regional economic integration. China hopes
to study with fellow Asian countries on possible free trade arrangements
of various forms consistent with prospective cooperation network
of free trade areas in Asia. China is ready tostep up its coordination
with other Asian partners on macro-economic and financial policies
and probe into the establishment of regional cooperation regime
of investors, securities market, and financial institutions. China
will work actively to promote the institutional building of all
kinds of economic cooperation organizations with a view to consolidating
resources, prioritizingthe key areas and conducting performance-oriented
cooperation.
Fourth, promoting cultural interaction and personnel exchanges.China
is committed to stronger cultural exchanges in Asia, and encourages
media cooperation to jointly build an Asia-wide cultural market.
China supports inter-culture and inter-religion dialogues in Asia,
and advocates greater understanding and tolerance. China is ready
to work with other Asian countries in promoting youth exchanges,
and providing greater convenience for people's travel on public,
business and tourist purposes.
Fifth, facilitating security dialogue and military-to-military
exchanges. China will stick to its new security concept featuring
mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and cooperation, and hopes
to establish a security relationship and cooperation featuring
non-alignment, non-confrontation, and non-targeting at any third
party.China will step up its cooperation and dialogue with other
Asian countries in such security areas as regional counter-terrorism,
combating transnational crimes, maritime security, and non-proliferation,
giving full play to existing multilateral security mechanisms.
China is ready to set up a military security dialogue mechanism
with other Asian countries and actively promote confidence-building
cooperation in the military field.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
China's development cannot be achieved in isolation of Asia,
and Asia's prosperity also needs China. China will follow a peaceful
development path holding high the banners of peace, development
and cooperation, join the other Asian countries in bringing about
Asian rejuvenation, and making greater contributionto the lofty
cause of peace and development in the world.
Thank you.
