I am very glad to pay an official visit to Brazil at the invitation of Foreign Minister Celso Amorim of the Federative Republic of Brazil on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the establishment of China-Brazil diplomatic ties. I'd like to take this opportunity to convey to the friendly Brazilian people the cordial greetings and good wishes from the Chinese people.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties, especially the establishment of bilateral strategic partnership in1993, relations between the two countries have maintained a good momentum of development. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva exchanged visits in 2004, bringing bilateral relations into a new phase of development. Since then, both sides have carried out frequent exchanges of high-level visits and fruitful cooperation in a range of fields, including economics and trade, science and technology and culture. Both countries have also deepened their political trust, and collaborated and coordinated closely on international affairs. The continuous development of Sino-Brazilian ties not only benefits the interests of the two peoples, but also contributes to the South-South cooperation, and promotes world peace, cooperation and development.

I'm looking forward to meeting with President Lula, and holding talks with Foreign Minister Amorim and having an in-depth exchange of views with him on bilateral relations, and international and regional issues of mutual concern. I believe that this visit will help enhance mutual trust, deepen consensus, expand cooperation and promote the development of the Sino-Brazilian strategic partnership.