On October 21 local time, President Xi Jinping delivered an important speech entitled “Work Together to Promote Openness, Inclusiveness and Peaceful Development” at the City Hall in City of London, stressing that China and the UK should, by taking a farsighted and strategic approach, bearing openness and inclusiveness in mind, following the principle of win-win cooperation and being bold and pioneering in the approach, seize the opportunities of the times to jointly usher in the "golden era" of bilateral relations, and together make new and greater contribution to the noble cause of peace and development of mankind.

The City of London is one of the major financial centers in the world. On the evening of October 21, Lord Mayor of the City of London Alan Yarrow hosted a grand ceremony and banquet at the City Hall in City of London to welcome Xi Jinping’s state visit to the UK. Upon arriving at the City of London, Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan were warmly greeted by Prince Andrew, Lord Mayor of the City of London Alan Yarrow and his wife. The band played the Chinese national anthem and Xi Jinping reviewed the guard of honor, Afterwards, in the cheerful tune of welcome, Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan stepped into the banquet hall, and all of the over 700 guests including UK people from all walks of life and foreign envoys in the country attending the banquet stood up to greet him with applause. Recorder of London delivered a speech to welcome Xi Jinping’s visit to the City of London.

In the warm applause, Xi Jinping delivered an important speech. Xi Jinping pointed out that in the course of history, the Chinese and British peoples both created splendid civilizations that had far-reaching impact on human progress. The City of London is both an epitome of deepening cooperation between the two countries and a vivid example of openness to the world. In today's world, openness, inclusiveness and mutual learning is a defining feature of our times, interaction and interdependence is the general trend, and peace, development and win-win cooperation is the main theme. All countries should live together in harmony and as equals, and respect and learn from each other. It is no longer consistent with the trend of the times to hold onto the Cold War mentality or engage in bloc confrontation. All countries should work together in a responsible way and take coordinated actions to address challenges.

Xi Jinping pointed out that China's development has attracted growing attention. Here, let me share some views on the questions you may be most interested in.

First, the path that the Chinese people follow has been a choice of history. The path of socialism chosen by China is a choice made by history and by the people. China has managed to complete, in just several decades, the journey of development which took developed countries several centuries. This can only show that the Chinese people are following the right path. China's socialism is guided by neither textbook doctrines nor rigid rules. It is a living thing that keeps growing and adapting through practice. Socialism with Chinese characteristics came into being in the process of constant improvements and adjustments through reform and development. According to ancient Chinese wisdom, "People don't need to wear the same shoes; they should find what suit their feet. Governments don't have to adopt the same model of governance; they should find what benefits their people." There is no one-size-fits-all development model in this world. A development path is most viable only when it brings benefits to the people in a sustained way.

Second, what the Chinese people want is a better life. We are keenly aware that China remains the largest developing country in the world. It still requires long and painstaking efforts by the Chinese people to achieve a better life. The Chinese dream, an effort by the Chinese people to pursue a happy life, is closely linked with the dreams of people in other countries. China's development is facilitated by the development of the world, and it will bring about greater impetus and opportunities for the common progress of all countries. China stands ready to work with the UK and the international community to unleash greater potential with real actions and achieve better development.

Third, what the Chinese people long for is a world of peace and development. Love of peace is part of DNA of the Chinese nation. China is committed to the path of peaceful development and rejects the logic that suggests that a rising country would always seek hegemony. China calls for the building of a community of shared future for mankind, and stands for promoting a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation. We will join hands with all countries to uphold world peace, safeguard fairness and justice and advance common prosperity. China advocates international cooperation and practises multilateralism and will unswervingly follow a win-win strategy of opening-up. China's development will not come at the cost of other countries. It will only serve to expand common interests.

Xi Jinping stressed that China and the UK may be geographically far apart, yet both sides feel close to each other. In recent years, bilateral relations and cooperation have been making big strides on the fast track of steady and sound development. I hope the UK will continue to be a trendsetter and an example of openness and inclusiveness in carrying out cooperation with China. We look to the UK to assume a leading position in the cooperation between China and Western countries, and fulfill its aspiration to be "China's strongest advocate in the West" with concrete action. Both sides should take a farsighted and strategic approach, always bear in mind the overall picture and major trend of our bilateral relations, enrich bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership and increase strategic communication and political mutual trust. Both sides should be open and inclusive, see each other's development as opportunities, continue to advance bilateral cooperation in a flexible and pragmatic way, and move faster to synergize respective development strategies of the two countries. Efforts should be made to facilitate inter-civilizational dialogue between East and West. The two countries should also work together to uphold an open world economy and promote cultural diversity in the world. Both sides should follow the principle of win-win cooperation, deepen bilateral relations and all-dimensional cooperation, spur China-Europe cooperation with the good momentum of China-UK cooperation, and promote common development and prosperity of Asia and Europe. Both sides should be bold and pioneering in the approach and update bilateral cooperation by tapping new potential, stimulating new energy and generating new impetus. The two countries should be brave in proposing creative ideas for international cooperation and lead the world trend of development and reform.

Xi Jinping emphasized at last that China and the UK agreed to open a "golden era" of the China-UK global comprehensive strategic partnership for the 21st century. Both sides should act now to seize the opportunities of our times to jointly usher in the "golden era", and together make new and greater contribution to the noble cause of peace and development of mankind.

Xi Jinping’s speech received rounds of applause. After his speech, Lord Mayor Alan Yarrow delivered a speech, extending gratitude to Xi Jinping once again.

Wang Huning, Li Zhanshu, Yang Jiechi and others were present.