Comrades, friends, ladies and gentlemen,
In a few hours’ time, the bell of the New Year will be ringing. We’ll
say goodbye to the year of 2015 and greet the first ray of sun light
from 2016. At this occasion of bidding farewell to the old year and
welcoming the new, I would like to express my best New Year wishes to
Chinese people from all ethnic groups, to our compatriots from Hong Kong
and Macao Special Administrative Regions, to our compatriots from
Taiwan region and overseas, as well as to friends from all countries and
regions around the world!
Fruitful gains come with persistent
efforts. In the year of 2015, Chinese people have made great efforts in
building their nation and have achieved enormously. Our economic growth
remained at the forefront of the world, our reforms intensified
comprehensively, the reforms on judicial system deepened, the “three
stricts” and “three steadies” carried out in earnest, and the fight
against corruption advanced solidly. Thanks to the great efforts of all
Chinese people, the 12th 5-year plan from 2010 to 2015 successfully came
to an end, which made the people in this country feel a heightened
sense of gains.
In the year of 2015, we solemnly commemorated the
70th anniversary of the victory of Chinese people’s War of Resistance
against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, with a grand
military-parade, showing the truth that justice will prevail, peace
will prevail, and people will prevail. We comprehensively implemented
the strategy of reforming and strengthening the army, and decided to cut
military personnel by 300-thousand. The meeting between myself and Mr.
Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore made the handshake between the top leaders of
the mainland and Taiwan a reality after a lapse of 66 years. The
handshake demonstrated that the peaceful development of cross-straits
relationship is the common aspiration of the people on both sides of the
Taiwan Straits.
In the year of 2015, Beijing won the bid for
hosting the 24th Winter Olympic Games, Chinese currency Renminbi was
approved by the IMF to be a global reserve currency in the Special
Drawing Right basket, our self-developed C919 jetliner was put on
production line, China’s super computer claimed top position for the 6th
consecutive year, which is a world record, the satellite exploring dark
matter, developed by our scientists, was launched into space
successfully, Tu Youyou became our first Chinese scientist winning a
Nobel Prize … All those facts have illustrated that dreams will
eventually come true with determined perseverance.
In the year of
2015, we’ve not only experienced cheerful occasions but have also gone
through sorrows. Many of our compatriots lost their lives in tragic
incidents like the “Eastern Star” cruise ship wreck, the serious fire
and blast in the port of Tianjin, and in the landslide in Shenzhen. Some
of our compatriots were also brutally murdered by terrorists. Our
hearts were broken by those tragedies. May the deceased rest in peace
and the living remain safe and sound! There are still many difficulties
and hardships in people’s daily lives. The Communist Party of China and
the Chinese government will continue the efforts to ensure that the
safety of people’s lives and properties are protected, and people’s
rights to improved livelihood and physical health are guaranteed.
Comrades, friends, ladies and gentlemen;
2016 marks the beginning of the decisive phase in the national effort
to build China into a comprehensive moderately prosperous society. The
fifth plenum of the 18th Congress of the Communist Party of China has
identified clearly the direction of development over the next five
years. The prospects are encouraging. However, happiness will not just
fall from heaven, we must empower ourselves with strong faith and
confidence, continue to work hard, to seek innovative, coordinated and
green development that is also open and shared by all. We will further
advance structural reforms, continue the reform and opening up process,
promote social fairness and justice, build a clean and healthy political
environment, and lay a solid foundation for the decisive stage in
building China into a moderately prosperous society.
To build
China into a comprehensive moderately prosperous society, we need the
effort of all the 1.3 billion people in this country. It remains a moral
and emotional obligation for me to get the tens of millions of rural
population out of poverty and to let them lead a decent life. Now the
party and the nation have been mobilized to make concerted effort for
the victory of the decisive battle over poverty. To all those still live
in difficulty, we will let them know that we do care, and we will let
them feel the warmth of heart, from ours to theirs.
Comrades, friends, ladies and gentlemen;
We have only one earth, this is the homeland of all peoples in the
world. In the past year, Chinese leaders have participated in quite a
few international conferences, and conducted numerous diplomatic
activities for the well being of our common home. Our efforts to promote
the “One belt, One road” initiative have achieved tangible results. We
have participated in the discussion of the UN 2030 Agenda on Sustainable
Development, as well as a series of world affairs concerning global
climate change. The world is too big, and challenges are too many, to go
without the voice from China being heard, without solution ideas from
China being shared, without the involvement of China being needed. To
those suffering from hardships and wars, we not only express our
sympathy and solidarity, but will also take duty bound actions to
provide help. China will, as always, open its arms to embrace the world,
and offer its helping hands to those in need. Our circle of friends
will grow bigger.
I sincerely hope that the international
community will make concerted effort to make peace, relate to each other
in cooperation rather than confrontation; beat swords into plowshares
and to build a community of common destiny of all mankind.
Thank you.
