Chinese President Xi Jinping has delivered a New Year speech in which he reviewed the achievements of 2019 and extended his New Year wishes for 2020.
Comrades, friends, ladies and gentlemen, The year
2020 is arriving. From China’s capital Beijing, I would
like to extend my New Year wishes to you all!
In 2019, we sweated and we toiled as we pressed ahead
with concrete efforts for achievements. Thanks to our
steady pursuit of high-quality development, China’s GDP
is expected to edge close to 100 trillion yuan with the per
capita figure reaching the level of 10,000 U.S. dollars.
Significant breakthroughs have been achieved in three
tough battles.
Coordinated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-
Hebei Region, the Yangtze River Economic Belt, the
Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area,
and the Yangtze River Delta, all accelerated. Ecological
protection and high-quality development in the Yellow
River basin have become national strategies.
About 340 impoverished counties and more than 10
million people have been lifted out of poverty. Our lunar
probe Chang’e-4, for the first time in human history,
landed on the far side of the moon; the Long March-5
Y3 rocket was successfully launched; the Xuelong 2
icebreaker set sail on its maiden voyage to the Antarctic;
the construction of the global network of the BeiDou
Navigation Satellite System is sprinting towards the
finish line; the commercial application of 5G technology
is accelerating; the Beijing Daxing International Airport
“phoenix spread its wings”… all these achievements are
the result of the efforts and sweat of those who strive
in the new era, and they demonstrate extraordinary
Chinese splendor and Chinese strength.
Over the past year, reform and opening-up has
continuously generated vigor for development. The
reform of Party and government institutions has been
successfully completed. We have set up another batch of
pilot free trade zones, and expanded the Shanghai Pilot
Free Trade Zone.
The Science and Technology Innovation Board was
launched smoothly. We have cut taxes and fees by more
than 2 trillion yuan, and raised the individual income
tax threshold.
Many types of commonly-used medicines have seen
their prices drop, while cheaper and faster internet
connection has enabled faster flow of information.
Garbage sorting is leading the new trend of a low-
carbon lifestyle.
This year we have also streamlined the work of officials
at the grassroots level. New changes are taking place
everywhere and the country is taking on a fresh look.
Over the past year, we have steadily pushed forward
reforms in our national defense and military systems.
The armed forces have taken on a new look of a strong
army in the new era. We held a grand military parade
on National Day, celebrated the 70th anniversary of the
establishment of the Navy and the Air Force, and also
hosted the 7th Military World Games. The country’s
first self-developed aircraft carrier was commissioned.
The people’s army will always serve as a great wall of
steel that guards our motherland. Let’s salute those
loyal soldiers who safeguard our home.
The most memorable moment of 2019 was the
celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the founding
of the People’s Republic of China. We cheered for the
glorious achievements the People’s Republic has made
over the past 70 years, and were overwhelmed by the
sheer force of patriotism. The formations during the
military parade were powerful, and the mass pageant
thrilling. Tiananmen Square was turned into a sea of
happiness.
All of China was arrayed in red with proud smiles on
all faces as the song “My Motherland and I” played
throughout the streets and alleys. Patriotic feelings
brought tears to our eyes, and patriotic spirit forms the
backbone of the Chinese nation. All these merge into
a surging current that sings an ode to New China and
inspires us to work harder in the new era, filling us with
boundless energy.
Over the past year, I have visited many places.
Construction of Xiong’an New Area is progressing,
Tianjin Port is booming, Beijing’s sub-center is thriving,
grasslands in Inner Mongolia are splendid, the Hexi
Corridor, after thousands of years, is teeming with new
life. The winding Yellow River, where the sky is high and
waters are wide, sometimes turbulent, sometimes calm;
on both banks of the Huangpu River, there is plenty and
prosperity, and ribbons of light shine in the night.
Everything is flourishing across our motherland.
I traced the routes of China’s revolution to strengthen
my original aspiration. From Yudu in Jiangxi Province
where the Red Army gathered for their Long March, to
the Revolution Museum in Xinxian County in Henan
Province, the former capital of the Hubei-Henan-
Anhui revolutionary base, from the Monument to the
West Route Army in Gaotai, Gansu Province, to the
revolutionary memorial site in the Fragrant Hills in
Beijing, all these places aroused many feelings and
thoughts in my mind.
Our original aspiration and
mission are our inexhaustible source of motivation
during our Long March of the new era.
As usual, no matter how busy I was, I spent time visiting
people in the countryside. People shared many of their
innermost thoughts with me, and I always keep them
in mind. I have also received letters from villagers of the
Dulong ethnic group in Gongshan, Yunnan Province;
residents of Xiadang township, Shouning County in
Fujian Province; soldiers of the Wang Jie Squad; the
graduate students of the Class of Champions at Beijing
Sport University; and children and senior volunteers from
Macao. In my reply letters, I applauded the achievements
they had made and sent my best wishes.
Over the past year, many people and their stories
touched us deeply. Zhang Fuqing has kept a low profile
and stayed true to his original heart despite the great
contributions he’s made to the nation; Huang Wenxiu
dedicated her youth and life to poverty alleviation; 31
fire fighters sacrificed their lives in the line of duty in
Muli, Sichuan Province; Du Fuguo sacrificed himself to
protect his teammates; and China’s Women’s National
Volleyball Team won the World Cup in an eleven-match
winning streak. Numerous unsung heroes, with neither
complaint nor regret, with dedication. Ordinary people
living extraordinary lives.
In the year of 2019, China continued to open its arms
wide to embrace the world. We hosted the second Belt
and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the
Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition, the
Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, and the
second China International Import Expo, showcasing
a civilized, open and inclusive China to the rest of the
world.
I held meetings with many heads of state and
government, sharing with them China’s proposals,
promoting friendship and deepening consensus. A few
countries joined hands with us. The number of countries
that have diplomatic ties with China now stands at 180.
We have friends in every corner of the world.
2020 will be a year of milestone significance. We will
finish building a moderately prosperous society in all
respects and realize the first centenary goal. 2020 will
also be a year of decisive victory for the elimination of
poverty.
The bugle has sounded. We shall all of one heart “add oil.”
The greater the difficulties, the further we advance,
strengthening our weak links even more and laying a
more solid foundation to win the hard battle against
poverty with determination, to lift all impoverished
rural residents and counties out of poverty by current
standards as scheduled.
Several days ago, I attended the celebrations marking the
20th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland
and felt heartened for the prosperity and stability in
Macao. The successful practice of Macao indicates that
the principle of “One Country, Two Systems” is fully
applicable, achievable, and popular.
In recent months,
our hearts have been concerned about the situation in
Hong Kong.
Without a harmonious and stable environment, how can
people live in peace and enjoy their work! I sincerely wish
Hong Kong well and our Hong Kong compatriots well.
Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability is the wish of Hong
Kong compatriots and the expectation of people of our
motherland.
Human history, like a river, runs forever, witnessing
both peaceful moments and great disturbances. We
are not afraid of storms and dangers and barriers.
China is determined to walk along the road of peaceful
development and will resolutely safeguard world peace
and promote common development. We are willing to
join hands with people of all countries in the world to
build together the Belt and Road Initiative, and push
forward the building of a community with a shared
future for mankind, and make unremitting efforts for
the creation of a beautiful future for mankind.
At this moment, many people are still at their posts,
many people are safeguarding peace and security, and
many people are working tirelessly. Your hard work is
greatly appreciated.
Let’s seize the day and live it to the full, and greet
the arrival of the year 2020 together. I wish you all
a happy new year!
