Recently, Ambassador Cai Run, Head of the Mission of China to the European Union, delivered a speech at the College of Europe, introducing China's development, its foreign policy, and China-EU relations. The full text of Ambassador Cai's speech is published below:

Distinguished Rector Mogherini,
Dear students,

Good afternoon! I am very pleased and honored to have the opportunity to visit the College of Europe—the cradle of European politicians—and to have this exchange with you today. I attach great importance to this discussion, and I have prepared quite a thick script for the speech. If I were to read it word for word, I might not be able to finish it this afternoon. So instead of reading from the script, I will just take this opportunity to have an open exchange with you.

I left university and started working in 1991. Now, 34 years later, it is wonderful to be back on a university campus again, to feel the vibrant atmosphere of academic life, which makes me feel truly at home. I am especially impressed to visit the College of Europe. In 2014, when President Xi Jinping paid a historic visit to the EU headquarters and delivered a speech here at the College of Europe, I was part of the delegation and had the privilege of listening to his important address in person. One of Bruges' notable features is its many bridges. In his speech, President Xi emphasized the need to build four bridges between China and the EU—of peace, growth, reform, and civilization—to enhance mutual understanding and cooperation. More than ten years later, when we revisit that important speech, we can feel even more deeply its enduring significance.

This afternoon, I would like to share with you three topics: First, an overview of China's development; Second, an introduction to China's foreign policy; And third, a general picture of China-EU relations.

First topic, on China's development. 

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, and especially since the launch of reform and opening up, China has achieved remarkable progress that has attracted worldwide attention. The country has undergone tremendous, indeed transformative changes. Let me share with you some of the major developments and transformations that have taken place in China since 1978, when reform and opening up began, so that you can get a sense of just how profound these changes have been.

First, the size of the economy. In 1978, China's GDP was about 400 billion yuan. By 2024, it had reached 135 trillion yuan. In 1978, China's share of the world economy was around 1.7 percent, whereas by 2024 it had risen to about 17 percent. From 1978 to 2024, China's average annual GDP growth rate was roughly 8.9 percent. Today, China is the world's second-largest economy and, for many consecutive years, has contributed around 30 percent of global economic growth. This illustrates the remarkable expansion of China's economic scale.

Second, foreign trade. In 1978, China's total foreign trade amounted to about 20 billion US dollars. By 2024, this figure had exceeded 6 trillion US dollars. In 1978, China accounted for roughly 1 percent of total global trade; by last year, that share had risen to 18 percent. Today, China is the leading trading partner for more than 150 countries and regions around the world.

Third, the urbanization rate. In 1978, China's urbanization rate was below 20 percent. By 2024, it had reached 67 percent. This means that over the past four decades, around 880 million people have moved from rural areas to cities to work and live. For those living in Europe, the difference between urban and rural life may not feel that significant. But in China, the gap between cities and the countryside is still quite noticeable. Moving from a village to a city often represents a dramatic improvement in living conditions. Just think about it: 880 million people—roughly twice the population of the entire European Union—have transitioned from rural to urban life. That is an extraordinary transformation.

Fourth, changes in per capita GDP. In 1978, China's per capita GDP was around 200 US dollars. By last year, that figure had risen to about 13,000 US dollars. Behind this dramatic increase lies profound improvement in virtually every aspect of people's lives. For example, average life expectancy in China has risen from 68 years in 1978 to 78.6 years last year.

Fifth, poverty alleviation achievements. Over the past four decades, China has lifted 800 million people out of poverty, eradicating absolute poverty—a challenge that had persisted for thousands of years in Chinese history. This represents not only a milestone in China's own development but also a major contribution to global development and human progress. The 800 million people lifted out of poverty in China account for about 70 percent of global poverty reduction during the same period.

Due to time constraints, I won't be able to list more figures or examples. But I believe that from what I've just shared, you can already get a clear sense of how profound the changes in China have been over the past 40 years. Of course, despite these remarkable achievements, as you all know, China is a country of 1.4 billion people. Problems of unbalanced and insufficient development still exist, and the tasks ahead remain challenging and demanding. Looking ahead, China's overall development goals can be summarized as follows: By 2035, China aims to basically achieve modernization; and by 2049, the centenary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, China aims to build a great modern socialist country in all respects.

In my view, China's remarkable progress over the past four decades has been driven by several important factors.

The first factor is reform. Reform has been the key move that has determined the destiny of contemporary China. After more than 40 years of reform, most of the easier reforms have already been completed; what remains are the difficult ones—or, as we say in Chinese, "the hard bones to chew". Last year, the Communist Party of China convened the Third Plenary Session of its 20th Central Committee, which focused specifically on addressing these tough issues. The meeting introduced over 300 major reform measures covering a wide range of areas—the economy, politics, culture, society, ecological progress, and self-building of the Party. These reforms are to be implemented within the next five years. Once these key reforms are completed, China's overall landscape will undergo even greater transformation, and the country's competitiveness will be further enhanced.

The second factor is opening up. Openness is the most distinctive hallmark of Chinese modernization. Over the past 40-odd years, China has implemented a wide range of opening-up measures, and the door to openness has continued to widen. At present, China is focusing on three main areas of further opening up: First, institutional opening-up—aligning with high-standard international economic and trade rules and creating a world-class, convenient, and law-based business environment. Second, voluntary opening-up—China has now lifted all restrictions on foreign investment in the manufacturing sector, and is further expanding market access in areas such as finance and insurance, healthcare, education, and telecommunications. Third, unilateral opening-up—for example, China currently grants visa-free entry to citizens of more than 40 countries, including 24 EU member states. These new steps toward greater openness will not only bring more development opportunities for China itself but also create broader space for development and cooperation for countries around the world. From its own experience of reform and opening up, China has learned a profound lesson: only reform and openness can bring progress and development, while isolation and closure lead to stagnation and backwardness.

The third factor is innovation. Innovation is the primary driving force behind development. In 2024, China's total R&D expenditure reached 2.68 percent of GDP, amounting to about 430 billion US dollars. By comparison, in 2023, the European Union's average R&D spending accounted for 2.22 percent of GDP. In this respect, we are proud that China has now reached—and even surpassed—the European level. You may have also noticed that in September this year, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) released its latest report, in which China ranked among the world’s top ten in the Global Innovation Index for the first time. This marks a strong international recognition of China's progress and achievements in innovation.

The fourth factor is the hard work of the Chinese people. The people are the true creators of history. "Labor brings honor"—this belief is deeply rooted in the mindset and values of the Chinese people regarding work and life. Of course, as China continues to develop and people's living standards improve, we also hope that people will be able to have more leisure time. Nevertheless, it is precisely through the hard work, perseverance, and dedication of the Chinese people that China has been able to achieve such remarkable progress and build a brighter future for its development.

There are, of course, many other factors that have contributed to China's development. Ultimately, China's progress is rooted in the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, which has guided the country in finding a development path suited to its own national conditions. This path is known as Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, or the path of Chinese modernization. It aligns with China's national realities, delivers tangible benefits to the people, and has driven the country's development while earning the heartfelt support of its citizens. At the same time, it has created more opportunities for cooperation and development for countries around the world. We are confident in the path we have chosen, and we will continue to follow it, working to further develop China and improve the well-being of its people.

Second topic, on China's foreign policies.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the country pursued an independent foreign policy of peace. China, together with countries such as India and Myanmar, also promoted the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. By 1978, before the start of China's reform and opening up, the country had already established diplomatic relations with more than 110 countries. The Chinese nation stood proudly on the world stage with a renewed and confident presence.

After the implementation of reform and opening up in 1978, China developed good cooperative relations with countries of all types around the world. It normalized relations with major countries, including the United States; established diplomatic relations with all neighboring countries except Bhutan; and strengthened ties with a broad range of developing countries. China also joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). In short, China's relationship with the world underwent a historic transformation.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, Chinese diplomacy has undertaken a series of innovations in both practice and theory, creating a favorable international environment for China's development and making new and greater contributions to global peace and development. To understand China's foreign policy since the 18th Party Congress, I personally believe it is essential to grasp four core principles and policy measures.

First, China has built a global network of partnerships. At present, China has established various types of partnerships with more than 150 countries and regional organizations. These partnerships span the globe and include countries of different types. For example, China has established partnerships with major forces, such as the China-EU relationship, which is defined as a comprehensive strategic partnership. China has also developed different types of partnerships with Western countries, such as Israel, where I once worked, which is designated as the innovative comprehensive partnership. China has furthermore established a wide range of partnerships with neighboring countries and countries in the Global South. Why emphasize this global network of partnerships? Because it represents a new type of state-to-state relationship, one that emphasizes non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party. In practice, it establishes a new model of international interaction between countries, a new way for state-to-state relations.

Second, China advocates four major global initiatives. Recently, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Governance Initiative, whose core principles are upholding sovereign equality, abiding by international rule of law, practicing multilateralism, advocating the people-centered approach, and focusing on taking real actions. Prior to this, President Xi had proposed three other initiatives: the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative. The Global Development Initiative aims not only to achieve China's own development but also to promote common development, addressing the North-South gap and advancing the shared development of humanity. The Global Security Initiative advocates the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, emphasizing resolving disputes through dialogue and consultation to promote regional and global peace and stability. The Global Civilization Initiative promotes mutual learning and exchanges among different civilizations, opposing civilizational conflict and confrontation. Each of these four initiatives has its own focus, but they complement and reinforce each other, aiming to build a better world and guide the international order and system toward greater justice and fairness. These initiatives are not about overthrowing the current international system or starting anew, but about reforming and improving it, which aligns with the common expectations of the international community. By proposing these four global initiatives, China seeks to contribute Chinese wisdom and solutions to the various problems and challenges facing the world today.

Third, China is promoting the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). In 2013, President Xi Jinping proposed the BRI with the aim of enhancing policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people exchanges among countries and regions along the route. The initiative adheres to the principles of extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefits, and over the past decade, it has received strong support from countries along the route as well as the international community. At present, more than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations have signed BRI cooperation documents with China. Under the BRI framework, there are over 3,000 cooperation projects, attracting nearly one trillion US dollars in investment, which has promoted economic and social development and enhanced peace and stability in the participating countries and regions. The BRI has now become the largest and most extensive international cooperation platform around the world. As you know, other countries and international organizations have also proposed initiatives and plans for infrastructure connectivity, such as the EU's Global Gateway strategy, and the second Global Gateway Forum will be held on October 9-10. China advocates that the BRI and these other initiatives should follow the principles of openness and inclusiveness, working together to promote regional and global peace and development rather than excluding each other. China is willing to work with the EU to ensure effective coordination between the BRI and the Global Gateway strategy.

Fourth, China is committed to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for humanity. This is the core concept of China's contemporary diplomacy, aimed at safeguarding world peace and promoting common development. China believes that in today's world, countries are increasingly interdependent and share a common future. All nations should work together to address global challenges. In the current international environment, no country can remain unaffected or tackle global issues—such as climate change—on its own. At the bilateral level, China has already established communities with a shared future with a large number of countries. At the regional level, China has also worked with ASEAN, Africa, the Arab world, and Latin America to advance such partnerships. Furthermore, China is promoting the creation of communities with a shared future in specific areas such as public health, maritime affairs, and nuclear security. In this way, China is advancing the vision of a community with a shared future at the bilateral and regional levels, and in different fields. As China continues to develop, it stands ready to share its development opportunities with other countries, to contribute more to world peace and development, and to play a constructive role in global affairs. China's growth and development represent the growth of a force for peace. China's development means opportunities, not threats.

Third topic, on China-EU relations.

In 1975, China established diplomatic relations with the European Community, the predecessor of today's European Union (EU). That was during the height of the Cold War, when, against a complex international backdrop, the elder generations of Chinese and European leaders showed extraordinary political courage and broke through the barriers of the Cold War to make a historic decision of establishing diplomatic relations. This step not only benefited the peoples of both sides but also contributed to world peace and development. Over more than fifty years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China-EU relations have made remarkable progress. We have moved from establishing diplomatic relations, to forming a partnership, and to building a comprehensive strategic partnership. In 2014, President Xi Jinping paid a historic visit to the EU headquarters, which elevated the bilateral relationship to a new level. Today, China and the EU have established a leaders' meeting mechanism, as well as five high-level dialogues in the areas of strategy, economy and trade, digital development, environment and climate change, and people-to-people exchanges. There are also more than 70 sectoral dialogue and exchange mechanisms. Our practical cooperation has yielded fruitful results. For example, in trade and economic cooperation: when diplomatic relations were first established, bilateral trade amounted to only 2.4 billion US dollars. By 2024, according to Chinese statistics, that figure had reached 784.8 billion US dollars, while two-way investment stock has now exceeded 270 billion US dollars. The China-Europe Railway Express has operated over 110,000 train trips in total. Meanwhile, China and the EU have also maintained close communication and coordination on major international and regional issues, jointly working to safeguard the international order as well as regional and global peace and stability. The achievements of the past fifty years have laid a solid foundation for the further development of China-EU relations in the years ahead.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, an important year of taking stock of the past and looking into the future. In July, President Xi Jinping met with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during their joint visit to China. They held in-depth discussions on the development of China-EU relations, reached important consensus, and provided strategic guidance and direction for the future of the relationship. Premier Li Qiang also held the 25th China-EU Summit with the two EU Presidents, achieving positive outcomes that have given strong momentum to the growth of China-EU relations. The main task for both sides now is to deliver on the important consensus reached by their leaders and outcomes of their meetings, seize the opportunities, properly manage differences and frictions, and work together to promote the sound and steady growth of China-EU relations.

Standing at this new starting point—the 50th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic relations—we are full of confidence in the future of this relationship. We are ready to work together with the European side to ensure that China-EU relations continue to advance steadily and achieve long-term, sustained progress.

First, it is important to uphold mutual respect and reinforce the positioning of our partnership. China and Europe are two major forces for building a multipolar world, two big markets supporting globalization, and two great civilizations that champion diversity. Situated at the eastern and western ends of the Eurasian continent, China and Europe have no fundamental clash of interests nor geopolitical conflicts. We are partners, not rivals, and still less enemies. China and Europe differ in history and culture, social systems, development paths, and ideologies. Yet these differences should serve as motivation for dialogue and cooperation, not as reasons or excuses for confrontation. Like-mindedness makes for partnership, and seeking common ground while respecting differences also defines partnership. China always views its relationship with the EU from a strategic and long-term perspective, regarding Europe as both an important front in China's major-country diplomacy and a key partner in China's modernization drive. We hope that the EU side will work with China towards the same objective, uphold the spirit of partnership, and create more favorable conditions for the healthy and steady development of China-EU relations.

Second, it is important to promote openness and cooperation, and properly handle differences and frictions. The essence of China-EU economic and trade cooperation lies in complementarity and mutual benefit. The outcomes of our cooperation have brought tangible benefits to the peoples of both sides and contributed to global growth and prosperity. Despite the severe challenges facing the world economy this year, China-EU trade has continued to maintain a steady growth momentum. According to Chinese statistics, from January to July this year, China-EU trade reached 466.6 billion US dollars, an increase of 2.8 percent year on year. According to European statistics, from January to June, bilateral trade amounted to 371.7 billion euros, up 5.8 percent year on year. Given the large scale and wide scope of China-EU trade and economic cooperation, it is natural that some differences and frictions arise. The key is that both sides should, in accordance with the important consensus reached by their leaders, resolve these issues through dialogue and consultation. It is important to oppose politicizing economic and trade matters and overstretching the concept of security, and protectionism. In my exchanges with European friends, I often emphasize that we should not only strengthen cooperation in traditional areas such as trade, education, and culture, but also make greater efforts to expand collaboration in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy, and green development, as these areas are crucial to the future of both China and Europe.

Third, it is important to uphold multilateralism and safeguard international rules and order. Multilateralism is the greatest unifying consensus between China and the EU. This year marks both the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN). Both China and the EU are committed to upholding the UN-centered international system, maintaining the multilateral trading system centered on the WTO and the international economic and trade rules. Both of us stand ready to enhance international cooperation to jointly address global challenges such as climate change. By strengthening cooperation in support of multilateralism, China and the EU can help make the international order more just and equitable.

Today, I have shared with you some basics on China's development, its foreign policy, and the progress of China-EU relations. I hope this helps deepen your understanding and knowledge of China. Before coming here, I received an email from a student at the College of Europe, who expressed interest in learning whether the Mission of China to the EU could offer internship opportunities for students, and also conveyed a desire to enhance exchanges with our Mission. Unfortunately, at this stage, our Mission does not yet have arrangements for local student internships, but we very much look forward to strengthening exchanges with students from the College of Europe. As I just discussed with Rector Mogherini, young diplomats from the Mission of China to the EU would be delighted to come to the College of Europe to engage with students on specific topics or issues of mutual interest. Taking this opportunity, I would also like to extend a sincere invitation for students to visit the Mission of China to the EU and have direct exchanges with our young diplomats. China is willing to further deepen cooperation and exchanges with the College of Europe. We will follow up actively to ensure that our cooperation yields concrete and meaningful outcomes.

To conclude, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere best wishes to all of you. I hope you will achieve great success in your studies and realize your dream of becoming diplomats in the future, making important contributions to your respective countries and to the EU. At the same time, we also hope that you will continue to take an interest in China-EU relations and play an active role in promoting mutual understanding and cooperation between China and Europe.

Thank you.

Ambassador Cai also answered students' questions, addressing topics such as the Ukraine crisis, multipolarity, and the situation in the Taiwan Strait.