President Xi Jinping’s New Year Address

Greetings to you all!

How time fl ies. Soon we will ring in the year 2018. I wish to extend New Year wishes to the people of all ethnic groups across China, includ- ing our fellow Chinese in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, Taiwan, and overseas. I also wish our friends in all other coun- tries and regions around the world all the best in the new year.

As the Chinese adage goes, hard work always pays off. Indeed, our hard work has brought re- markable change to China. In 2017, we held the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), embarking on a new journey of making all-round efforts to build a modern social- ist country. China’s GDP has exceeded 80 trillion yuan ($12.3 trillion). More than 13 million new jobs have been created in urban and rural areas. Over 900 million Chinese are now covered by social pension insurance and 1.35 billion Chinese have access to basic medical insurance. Another 10 million-plus rural residents have been lifted out of poverty. “How wonderful it would be if all the poor people could be properly sheltered!” Such was the longing of an ancient Chinese poet. Thanks to our poverty alleviation efforts, 3.4 mil- lion poor people have been relocated and moved into new and warm homes, and the building of 6 million housing units in run-down areas has begun ahead of schedule. We have stepped up initiatives aimed at improving people’s lives and steadily improved the ecological environment, while our people now have a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness and security. In short, we have taken another big step toward the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

The past year has seen a number of major in- novation and engineering success stories. Huiyan, a hard X-ray modulation telescope, was launched into space, while the C919 large passenger jet completed its maiden flight. A quantum com- puter has been successfully developed and trials have been conducted for growing rice in saline soil by the sea.

The first Chinese-built aircraft carrier was launched, Haiyi, an underwater glider, conducted deep-sea observations, and sub oceanic com- bustible ice was successfully extracted for the fi rst time. Phase IV of the Yangshan Automated Port is now operational. The main structure of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has been completed, and the Fuxing high-speed trains have been put into service. Big congratulations to you, my fellow Chinese, for your great ingenuity!

We held a military parade at the Zhurihe training base in commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army. I attended Hong Kong’s celebra- tions for the 20th anniversary of its return to the motherland. I could see first-hand that with the strong backing of the motherland, Hong Kong enjoys long-term prosperity and stability, and there is no doubt that the region will have an even better tomorrow. We also held a cer- emony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and a national memorial ceremony for the victims of the Nanjing Massacre, honoring those who lost their lives and expressing our resolve to uphold peace.

China also played host to several multilateral diplomatic events, including the first Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the BRICS Xiamen Summit, and the CPC in Dialogue With World Political Parties High-Level Meeting. I also attended several major multilateral meetings. At the beginning of the year, I attended the annu- al World Economic Forum in Davos and delivered a speech at the UN Offi ce at Geneva. Later in the year, I attended the G20 Summit and the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. On those occasions, I held in-depth exchanges with global leaders, and we agreed that it is imperative to build a commu- nity with a shared future for mankind in order to benefi t the people of all countries.

In 2017, I continued to receive many let- ters from the public, including villagers from the Yumai Township of Longzi County in Tibet Autonomous Region, members of the Ulan Muqir Art Troupe of Sonid Right Banner from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, retired professors who have been with the Xi’an Jiaotong University since it was moved to Xi’an several decades ago, and undergraduates from Nankai University who joined our military services. Their stories moved me deeply. You, the people, with a strong sense of patriotism, have devoted yourselves to our common cause without regret or complaint.

You, the ordinary Chinese, in your hundreds and millions, are the greatest heroes! What you have achieved shows that happiness is indeed earned through hard work.

The year 2018 will be the fi rst for us here in China to move toward the goal set by the CPC at its 19th National Congress. The 19th Party Congress laid out a blueprint for China’s develop- ment in the next three decades and beyond. As another Chinese saying goes, the building of a nine-story tower must begin by shoveling the fi rst pile of earth. To turn this blueprint into reality, we must not entertain impractical notions or indulge in rhetoric. What we must do is to be realistic in our approach, and take one step at a time as we progress and deliver tangible outcomes.

The year 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up. Reform and opening up is the only way that today’s China will achieve development and progress; and only by pursuing reform and opening up can we realize the Chinese dream. We will gener- ate momentum for reform and opening up by celebrating its 40th anniversary, and, with the same drive and tenacity necessary to cut a path through the mountains and build a bridge across the rapid currents, we will carry reform through to its ultimate success.

By 2020, China will have lifted its rural population living below the current poverty line out of poverty. This is a solemn pledge that we have made, and we must honor it. With only three years to go, all of us in the country must get stuck into the action and take targeted steps to reach our goal. Winning this tough battle against poverty within three years will mean that for the fi rst time in China’s history of several millennia, extreme poverty will cease to exist in the country. Let’s work to- gether to accomplish this cause, a cause that is of monumental signifi cance to both us the Chinese nation and the whole mankind.

Today, people in the world express both hope and concern about the prospects of peace and development, and they want to know where China stands on these issues. The world is one big family. As a responsible major country, China has this to say China will resolutely uphold the authority and stature of the United Nations, fulfi ll its due international obligations and responsibili- ties, honor its commitments on climate change, actively pursue the Belt and Road Initiative, and continue its efforts to safeguard world peace, promote global development and uphold the international order. We Chinese will continue to work together with people of all other countries to deliver a future of greater prosperity and peace for mankind.

China’s great progress is achieved by our people and must be shared by our people. I know that the areas of greatest concern to our people are related to education, employment, income, social security, healthcare, elderly care, housing and the environment, to name but a few of the major issues. We have made many gains, but we also face many pressing and difficult problems. There is still much room for improvement in our work concerning people’s well-being. So we must strengthen our sense of mission and responsibil- ity and make every effort to deliver a better life for our people. We, Party committees, governments and offi cials at all levels, must always keep in mind the well-being of the people, make benefi ting the people our top priority, promptly address their pressing concerns and ensure they lead better lives.

Thank you all!

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