Excellencies,

Distinguished Guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening! On behalf of my wife and my colleagues in the Chinese embassy, I wish to thank you all for taking time from your hectic schedule to grace the occasion with your presence. My thanks also go to the Indian friends and the colleagues from the diplomatic corps, who have offered me their generous support and assistance, making my first 20-plus days' work in India smooth and joyful. I am looking forward to forging a good working relationship and a cordial personal relationship with all of you.

 

I consider it a great honour for me to come to work here as Chinese Ambassador to India at the important stage of the development of China-India relations. Ever since I stepped on this ancient land of beauty and splendid culture, I have been deeply touched by the hospitality shown by the Indian government and its people. It is something we Chinese are very familiar with. Apart from hospitality, I feel that China and India share many other things in common, including the size of population, the twists and turns in history, the time-honoured civilizations, and recent economic achievements. More importantly, China and India, as two largest developing countries, face the same task of achieving a sustainable development for the betterment of our people and share the vision of building a harmonious world. To fulfill these common aspirations, we are committed to developing and strengthening the Strategic and Cooperative Partnership for Peace and Prosperity between the two countries.

Recent years have witnessed concerted efforts by China and India to advance the bilateral relations. Frequent exchanges of high-level visits have given much momentum to the development of our relationship. Mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation has recorded a fast expansion. Exchanges in the fields of culture, science, education, tourism and military have also made big headway. On the major international and regional issues we have enjoyed a lot of common ground and cooperated closely with each other.

Five days later, Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, will visit China, becoming the first foreign leader to visit China in the year 2008. We believe his visit will serve as another impetus to advance our relations.

Looking forward, both countries will continue their endeavors in respective national building. Furthermore, China will host the 2008 Beijng Olympic Games, to which India will make its contribution by hosting the Olympic torch relay in Mumbai. To carry forward the Olympic spirits, India has set on road for organizing the best Commonwealth Games in 2010.

It is a set policy of the Chinese government to develop overall friendly and cooperative relations with India. There are no fundamental conflicts of interests between China and India. We have more consensus than differences. Chinese President Hu Jintao noted that "long-term friendship, cooperation with mutual benefits and common development between China and India will change Asia and the world in a profound way". Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh stressed "India wants the strongest relationship with China". A good relationship between China and India will not only benefit the 2.4 billion people of both countries, but also the entire world. I, as new Chinese Ambassador, will work tirelessly to further this relationship.

Let me propose a toast,

to the health of everyone present,

to the well-being of the Republic of India,

and to the friendship between China and India!

Cheers!