Dear Friends and Distinguished Guests,

Good evening!

I would like to welcome you to today’s reception to join us in celebrating the 98th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. Born in the Nanchang Uprising on August 1st, 1927, the PLA is the people’s army led by the Communist Party of China. Over the past 98 years, it has gone through numerous battles and countless hardships in the course to win independence for the nation, liberation for the people, prosperity for the country, contributing greatly to maintain world peace and promoting the progress of mankind.

Entering the new era, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military, the PLA has undergone an all-round revolutionary restructuring, and the supply of the new combat has made important progress. The strategic capability of the PLA to effectively fulfill its mission in the new era has been continuously enhanced. It is becoming a world-class military with Chinese characteristics, which commensurate with China’s international standing as well as in line with the national security and development interests.

China pursues peaceful development and a defense policy that is defensive in nature. We have always been a defender of world peace, a contributor to global development and an upholder of international order. As the largest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping operations among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, and the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping assessments, China honors its international responsibilities and obligations. Since its first deployment 35 years ago, the Chinese military has participated in 25 peacekeeping missions and dispatched over 50,000 personnel, 18 of those missions are in Africa, and 17 Chinese service members have made the ultimate sacrifice for the UN peacekeeping cause. Since 2008, the Chinese Navy has regularly deployed warships to carry out anti-terrorism and anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters, has so far sent more than 100 warships to provide security protection and emergency rescue for more than 7,000 ships. 

Ladies and Gentlemen

African Union Commission Chairperson H.E. Youssouf pointed out that peace and security are the cornerstones of development. China has always played a unique and constructive role in maintaining peace and security in Africa, firmly supports the AU in carrying out independent peacekeeping operations. In recent years, China has completed the handover of 100 million dollars of grants in military assistance to support capacity building of the African Standby Force, strengthened friendly exchanges at all levels with African countries including Ethiopia, carried out pragmatic cooperation in such areas as joint exercises and training, joint patrols, and personnel training. The military relations between China and African nations have been greatly deepened with fruitful practical cooperation.

The successful holding of the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation has opened a new chapter in which China and Africa jointly building an all-weather community with a shared future in the new era. President Xi Jinping announced that China and Africa should jointly advance modernization characterized by “Six Features” and the “Ten Partnership Actions”. China is ready to build with Africa a partnership for implementing the Global Security Initiative, make it a fine example of Global Security Initiative cooperation, promote the Partnership Action for Common Security, and jointly improve the level of military modernization.

Friends and Distinguished Guests

The friendship between China and Africa transcends time and space, surmounts mountains and oceans, and passes down through generations. China is willing to take the implementation of the Global Security Initiative and the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit as an opportunity to closely connect with the African Union’s “2063 Agenda” and “Silencing the Guns” initiatives, strengthen strategic communication and pragmatic cooperation with Africa, make a new and greater contributions to jointly maintaining regional and global security.