Dear guests,

ladies and gentlemen,

Today, we gather here to commemorate the 100th birthday of the late great Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. During the past century, Deng Xiaoping was selected for 5 times as the front cover figure and 2 times as the yearly figure by the famous American Times magazine. He is believed to be among the most influential persons of the past century.

Deng Xiaoping is the chief architect of China's reform. He ended up the era of "class struggle" and ushered China into a new phase that keeping economic development as a core. He kicked off China's market-oriented reform by saying that "a planned economy is not a must of socialism". He stressed for many times that to accelerate and deepen the reform is the main task on which all political, economic and social activities must be focused.

Deng Xiaoping changed the way of thinking of Chinese people. His famous saying "Crossing river by feeling stones" now is the Chinese version of "playing by ear". Almost every body across the world knows his metaphor "No matter if it is a white cat or a black cat, a cat that can catch rats is a good cat." The practical idea he urged has already been a basic value of the Chinese society.

Deng Xiaoping is the founding father of China's independent foreign policy of peace as well as the policy of"One China, Two systems". His thesis that "peace and development are the two major issues in the world, and neither one has been resolved" is still vivid. His promise that China opposed to hegemonism and power politics and will never seek hegemony continues to be a ticket for China's integration into the international community.

Thanks to Deng's reform, the present China is totally different with the one when he resumed to power in the year of 1976.

The country's GDP has reached 1.4 trillion US dollars, ranking 6th in the world, while its per capita surpassed 1000 US dollars. 80% of the 1.3 billion people said farewell to poverty and is leading a well-being life. A market economy structure has been successfully set up. The political reform aiming at establishing sound legal system and perfecting socialist democracy is well on the way while the Chinese society has never been so human rights tendering like today. Hong Kong and Macao smoothly returned to the motherland with economy and society remain stable.

Now the Chinese government and people are working hard for a strategy of establishing an overall well-being society, which was always in Deng's dream and is approaching to us in a fast speed.

Ladies and gentlemen,

While we commemorate Deng Xiaoping, we should not forget his wishes to the Sino-Australian relations.

In the late 1970s and beginning of 1980s, Deng Xiaoping and his colleague Chinese leaders arranged a series high-level visits to some advanced countries for the purpose of drawing on the achievements of all cultures and designing China's own reform. Australia was on the list.

On 20th may, 1986, when Deng Xiaoping met with visiting Australian Prime Minister, he said that the two countries should be very close friends. He also said that China and Australia shared same views on many international affairs and could find vast opportunities to cooperate with each other.

We also remind ourselves that Deng Xiaoping's design on well-being society as well as thesis on world peace and development were respectively first raised openly during his meeting with former Australian Prime Minister Fraser and Whitlam in the year of 1982 and 1986.

All these facts prove that Australia is always on the map of China's going global. Now the Sino-Australian relations is developing in a very good momentum and our mutual understandings and cooperation in all fields are consistently enhanced.

We are already close friends and should not reserve our efforts to raise the Sino-Australian relations to a new high. Herewith, I would like to end up my speech by quoting Deng Xiaoping's another famous saying which is also good for Sino-Australian relations. "Once we are sure that something should be done, we should dare to experiment and break a new path."

Thank you.