Realizing that development is inseparable from peace and stability, China is also committed to safeguarding regional peace and security while contributing to regional development. The latest example is that China firmly supports Afghanistan to promote peaceful reconciliation and reconstruction process and is willing to help Afghanistan to enhance its capacity building. During the 4th Foreign Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process on Afghanistan held in Beijing on October 31, China announced Afghanistan grant assistance of 500 million RMB yuan this year and 1.5 billion RMB yuan in the coming three years, training of 3,000 Afghan professionals in various fields and offering of 500 scholarships in the next five years. This action of China has been widely acclaimed by the international community.

The fourth word is Cooperative. China has always been committed to promote the Asia-Pacific development through its own development and provide new opportunities for regional prosperity through its own reforms and opening-up. China has always been thinking about ways to make new contributions towards deepening the Asia-Pacific economic integration and is willing to use its experience, funds and technology to promote the common development of the Asia-Pacific. Infrastructure connectivity is a basic condition for integrated development. China is promoting the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor, the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in order to achieve regional policy communication, connect roads, smoothen trade, encourage currency circulation and link the hearts of people. Here I’d like to talk more about China’s proposal to establish the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to resolve the financing bottlenecks in the path of regional interconnectivity. India and 20 other prospective founding members of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank signed the MoU in Beijing on October 24. After the signing ceremony, President Xi Jinping met representatives from these countries. He welcomed active participation by all countries that are interested so as to achieve win-win results. He said that the establishment of the AIIB incorporates the desire, resolve and action of all parties in pursuing development through cooperation and contributes to improving global financial governance. The AIIB itself is an innovative mechanism. It complements the existing mechanisms instead of replacing them. The AIIB would facilitate infrastructural inter-connectivity in this region, advance regional economic cooperation and inject new impetus into the Asian economic development. I am sure that through concerted efforts of all parties, the AIIB can be built into an equal, inclusive and highly-efficient platform for infrastructure investment and financing as well as a multilateral development bank that meets the needs of the countries in this region.

As you know, President Xi Jinping concluded his historical and very successful state visit to India last month. During the visit, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached broad consensus on bilateral ties. It was emphasized that China and India should become closer partners for development, cooperative partners for growth and global partners for strategic coordination, the two countries should jointly pursue our respective dreams of national renewal; and jointly achieve peaceful, cooperative and inclusive development. Now the two sides are stepping up efforts to implement the outcome of this visit.

As President Xi Jinping said, development is the top strategic goal shared by the two countries and nothing is more imperative than to deliver a more comfortable, more secure and happier life to our peoples. I believe that Indian people will benefit immensely from China’s development and the cooperation between China and India. Here I’d like to discuss what the Sino-Indian cooperation means from the perspective of the common Indian people.

According to the China-India economic and trade cooperation program, China will invest 20 billion US Dollars in India in the next 5 years in various industrial and infrastructure development projects. The Indian people will soon benefit from more high-quality and reasonably priced goods made by Chinese manufacturers in India; enjoy 24x7 power supply with the support from Chinese power enterprises; and hopefully experience more convenient and comfortable high-speed railway service. China’s investment will create jobs for thousands of Indians. Huawei, a Chinese IT company, alone has already created more than 5,000 jobs in India at present. Its R&D Center with 2000-plus posts will soon operate in Bangalore. Meanwhile, Indian pharmaceutical, agricultural and IT products will find greater access to the Chinese market.

Indian tourism operators will have the opportunity to increase their revenues from receiving more Chinese tourists. In the next 5 years, there will be more than 500 million Chinese outbound tourists. As a neighboring country, India could expect to be an important destination for the Chinese tourists. The current arrival figure of 100,000 seems too meager. We should make good use of Tourism Years in 2015 and 2016 to promote Incredible India. For example, visa-upon-arrival for the Chinese tourists might be a good idea to boost tourism in India. More Indian tourists are also welcome to visit China. To facilitate the Indian pilgrims, the Chinese side has agreed to open a new route for the Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra through Nathu La Pass, which is expected to be operational next year. By the way, Indian yoga gurus and practitioners would be pleasantly surprised to find that yoga is already part of the popular exercise regimen of the Chinese.

People with real-life experience understand fully that neighbors may sometimes encounter problems and there are always ways to solve them. Of course the boundary question, which is a leftover from the western colonialists, needs solution. I earnestly believe that both sides have the ability and wisdom to reach fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution through peaceful and friendly consultation to prevent the boundary question from affecting the overall bilateral relations. As long as we continue to have sufficient foresight, courage and tolerance, we will be able to dispel these stray clouds and bring our bilateral cooperation forward to the bright future.

Being ancient oriental civilizations at similar stages of development, China and India are both pursuing the great dream of national renewal, dreams that are interconnected and mutually compatible. China and India are now in a crucial stage of national rejuvenation, where they need to become closer development partners that draw upon each other’s strengths and work together for common development. As members of the BRICS and as emerging economies, China and India are two major forces in the process of the formation of a multi-polar world.Mahatma Gandhi once observed that China and India are fellow travelers sharing weal and woe in a common journey. Prime Minister Narender Modi has likened China and India to “two bodies with one spirit”. President Xi Jinping also pointed out that if we speak with one voice, the whole world will listen, and if we join hands, the whole world will pay attention.Let’s draw wisdom from our great ancient civilizations and our visionary leaders, show sufficient foresight to promote the China-India strategic cooperative partnership and closely link our development strategy. Let’s bring more benefit to the two peoples and make greater contribution to promoting the prosperity and revitalization of Asia-Pacific as well as the stability and development of the world.

A few days ago, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced to the world that the countdown to APEC Beijing had started. Speaking today, I want to reiterate that China is ready, Beijing is ready.

Thank you.