Your Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission，
Your Excellency Mr. Zhang Ming, Vice Foreign Minister of China，
Dear Colleagues，
Guests, Friends,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon!
Today is a special day for the China-African Union relations, a day for us to celebrate and remember. We gather here in this wonderful hall to witness the historical moment of the official opening of the Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the African Union. First of all, let me begin by extending our warm welcome to H.E. Dr. Dlamini Zuma, H.E. Mr. Zhang Ming and all the distinguished guests present here. Thank you all for coming to this event.
China and the African Union have long enjoyed friendship and cooperation, which have in recent years gathered increasingly strong momentum for further development. In 2005, China became one of the first countries outside Africa with their Ambassadors concurrently serving as representatives to the African Union. Last year, China’s Premier Li Keqiang paid a successful visit to the AU Headquarters and reached very important consensus with Dr. Dlamini Zuma on the China-Africa and China-African Union cooperation. During his visit, Premier Li announced that China would soon set up our permanent mission to the African Union. That is a new significant step aimed at upgrading our relations with the African Union in the new ear. So I feel very proud and honored to be the first Chinese Ambassador to the African Union.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my deep appreciation to Dr. Zuma for his great support. On March 13th, which happened to be my birthday, I presented my credentials to Dr. Dlamini Zuma. To my great honor, the Chairperson not only made some special arrangements for the event, but also surprised me with special birthday presents and best wishes. That was my most unforgettable and memorable day in my career! I know the Chairperson was back in Addis just a few days ago after her long overseas trip. As always, she has a tight schedule, but she’s readily agreed to attend this event.
I am really indebted to the Ethiopian Government and Addis Ababa Municipality for their assistance and help. Thanks to our Ethiopian friends, we have moved into our new office building and the residence and began our work as scheduled.
I especially want to express my great gratitude to our Chinese Embassy to Ethiopia, particularly Ambassador La and many Chinese companies for their great support and help. Whenever we encounter any difficulties, we turn to them for help and assistance.
Last but not least, I am particularly grateful to my colleagues for their tremendous efforts and strong commitments. I am so proud of them. It is they who have made this event possible.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At present, China-Africa relations have entered a new age of great opportunities and prospects. There is so much we can do together. There is so much we can accomplish for the peoples of the two sides. As the most important organization on the continent, the African Union has consistently played an essential role in promoting China-Africa relations. The Chinese Mission stands ready to work closely with the African Union and Dr. Dlamini Zuma in particular, and spares no efforts to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two sides, so as to elevate the Chins-AU relationship to a new height.
Thank you so much!