November 18, 2024, Rio de Janeiro
Dear President Lula,
Colleagues,
I am very pleased to attend the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro. I would like to thank President Lula and the Brazilian government for their warm reception of the Chinese delegation.
The world is undergoing a century-long transformation, and human development is facing unprecedented opportunities and challenges. As leaders of the world’s major countries, we should not be afraid of the clouds blocking our view, but should uphold the sense of a shared future, shoulder historical responsibilities, take the initiative in history, and promote historical progress.
I once said at the G20 Summit that world prosperity and stability cannot be built on the basis of the poor getting poorer and the rich getting richer. All countries should promote more inclusive, more universal and more resilient global development. When China hosted the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, it put the development issue at the center of macroeconomic policy coordination for the first time, and issued the G20 Action Plan for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the G20 Initiative to Support Industrialization in Africa and the Least Developed Countries. The Rio Summit took “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet” as its theme, “Eliminating Hunger and Poverty” as its primary topic, and decided to establish the “Global Alliance to Fight Hunger and Poverty”. From Hangzhou to Rio de Janeiro, we are committed to the same goal, that is, to build a just world of common development.
To build such a world, we must increase resource input in areas such as trade and investment, development cooperation, strengthen development institutions, create more bridges for cooperation and fewer “walls”, so that more and more developing countries can live a good life and achieve modernization.
To build such a world, we must support developing countries in adopting sustainable production and lifestyles, properly respond to challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution, build ecological civilization, and achieve harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
To build such a world, we must create an open, inclusive and non-discriminatory environment for international economic cooperation, promote inclusive economic globalization, enable new technologies, new industries and new business models to empower sustainable development, support developing countries to better integrate into the digital, intelligent and green development trends, and narrow the gap between the North and the South.
To build such a world, we must uphold multilateralism, safeguard the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
Dear colleagues!
China’s development is an important part of global common development. China has lifted all 800 million people out of poverty, completing the poverty reduction target of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ahead of schedule.
These achievements did not fall from the sky, but were achieved through concerted efforts and hard work by the Chinese government and the Chinese people. China has always adhered to the people-centered approach and solemnly promised that “no poor area or poor people will be left behind.” We insist on targeted poverty alleviation and implement policies based on villages, households and individuals. We insist on poverty alleviation in economic development and actively guide the flow of talents, funds and technology to poor areas. We insist on poverty alleviation in promoting the development of local characteristic industries, helping poor areas improve infrastructure and developing industries with “blood-making” functions according to local conditions. We insist on poverty alleviation in promoting common prosperity and promote “pairing” mutual assistance between developed and underdeveloped areas. I have worked in villages, counties, cities, provinces and the central government in China. Poverty alleviation is an important part of my work and a major event that I am determined to accomplish.
China’s poverty alleviation process shows that with the tenacity, perseverance and fighting spirit of “dripping water wears away a stone and a blueprint is drawn to the end”, poverty in developing countries can be solved, and weak birds can fly first and fly high. If China can succeed, other developing countries can also succeed. This is the global significance of China’s successful victory in the fight against poverty.
Dear colleagues!
China has always been a member of the “Global South”, a reliable long-term partner of developing countries, and a doer and practitioner in support of global development. China does not seek to be the only one, but hopes that a hundred flowers will bloom and work together with the vast number of developing countries to achieve modernization. Here, I would like to announce eight actions that China will take to support global development.
First, we will work together to build the Belt and Road Initiative with high quality. On the basis of the newly established RMB 700 billion financing window and the new RMB 80 billion of funds for the Silk Road Fund, we will further build a three-dimensional interconnected network, lead with the Green Silk Road, and empower the Digital Silk Road.
Second, implement global development initiatives. On the basis of more than 1,100 development projects that have been carried out, build a “Global South” research center, continue to make good use of the $20 billion funding window to support developing countries, and deepen practical cooperation in various fields such as poverty reduction, food security, and the digital economy.
Third, support Africa’s development. In September this year, I announced at the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) that we will work with Africa to advance modernization over the next three years, and provide RMB 360 billion in financial support for this purpose.
Fourth, support international cooperation on poverty reduction and food security. China has decided to join the Global Alliance to Fight Hunger and Poverty, support the continued holding of the G20 Development Ministers’ Meeting, and will continue to host the International Food Loss Reduction Conference.
Fifth, China, Brazil, South Africa and the African Union jointly launched the “Open Science International Cooperation Initiative” to promote global scientific and technological innovation achievements to benefit more of the “Global South”.
Sixth, support the G20 in carrying out pragmatic cooperation that benefits the “Global South”, make good use of the “Roadmap for Increasing Clean Energy Investment in Developing Countries” and the “High-Level Principles for Bioeconomy”, support the work of the G20 Entrepreneurship Research Center in Beijing, and support all parties to carry out cooperation in the fields of digital education, museum digitization, and ancient book digitization.
Seventh, implement the G20 Anti-Corruption Action Plan and strengthen cooperation with developing countries in areas such as pursuing fugitives and recovering illicitly acquired assets, rejecting corruption havens, and building anti-corruption capacity.
Eighth, China will improve its high-level opening-up system and mechanism and expand unilateral opening-up to the least developed countries. China has announced that it will grant zero tariff treatment to 100% of the tariff items of all the least developed countries that have established diplomatic relations with China. From now until 2030, China’s cumulative imports from developing countries are expected to exceed 8 trillion US dollars.
Dear colleagues!
As the Chinese often say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. China is willing to work with all parties to build a just world of common development, make poverty a thing of the past, and make a beautiful vision a reality.
Thank you everyone.