On 1 October 2009, H.E. Mrs. Zhang Qiyue, the Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia held a reception for the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Hotel Shangri-La, Jakarta. Over 1500 guests attended the reception. Following is the full text of the Ambassador's remarks at the reception:

    Honorable guests, friends, ladies and gentlemen,

    Before coming to the subject of Chinese National Day, I wish, on behalf of Government and people, to express our condolences to the families of the earthquake victims. Our heartfelt sympathies go to the people and families affected by this serious disaster that struck west Sumatra yesterday, causing heavy damage. We are in the process of contacting the competent authorities to see what assistance to provide.

    Today, 1.3 billion Chinese people are celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China with various activities. Right now, fireworks are lightening up the sky over major cities in China. Thank you for coming to the reception and share the joy with the Chinese people.

    Looking back, we could say China has blazed the right path of national rejuvenation. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese people, with painstaking efforts and wisdom, have transformed the once impoverished and backward old China into a modern country of prosperity and strength. The Chinese economy has grown at an average rate of 8.1% annually, with its economic aggregate and total trade volume as the third largest of the world. China has managed to feed over 20% of world's population with less than 10% of world's arable land. More than 200 million people have shaken off abject poverty. The average life expectancy in China has increased from 35 to 73. Today, our people are enjoying a relatively comfortable life.

    Looking back, we see that China has explored and found a path of reform and opening-up. Thirty-one years ago, China opened up to embrace the outside world and found a path of development which fits our national conditions. We have set up and developed a market economy with Chinese characteristics. We have joined the World Trade Organization and many other international organizations and forged an unprecedentedly close relationship with the world. China has diplomatic relations with 171 countries. We are proud to say that we have friends from all over the world.

    Looking back, we are of the view that China has embarked on the path of peaceful development. We have enhanced the friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation with all countries and worked hard to maintain a peaceful environment. The development of China is bringing great opportunities to other countries, thus making notable contributions to the peace and stability of the whole world.

    The relations between China and Indonesia are developing at a fast pace, with frequent exchanges at different levels and close cooperation in various fields. The strategic partnership that we have enjoyed is being substantiated everyday. Next year we will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Indonesia.   We are fully confident that the bilateral relations, coming to a new historic turning point, will gain greater momentum as they will further benefit the people of our two countries.

    (For more information of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia, please visit the website of the Embassy at http://id.china-embassy.org/eng/)