Remarks by Ambassador Ma Hui at the Commemoration of the 175th Anniversary of Chinese Arrival in Cuba
(28 June 2022, Havana)
Diego, Chairman of the Cuban-China Friendship Association, Marsan,
Vice Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party, Gault,
Vice Chairman of the Cuban Foreign Friendship Association
, Bai Shide, Director of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Asia and the Pacific , Kuang Qihong, Chairman of the Chinese Federation, overseas Chinese and friends:
It is a great pleasure to attend the event jointly organized by the Cuban National Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the Cuban-China Friendship Association to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the arrival of Chinese in Cuba. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Cuba, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you for your long-term support to the Chinese community in Cuba and your contribution to promoting China-Cuba friendship!
We have just enjoyed the wonderful performance of the Cuban Martial Arts and Qigong School and the opening of an exhibition of paintings by Chinese painter Kuang Qiuyun. The flowing Chinese martial arts movements and ingenious paintings allow us to once again appreciate the charm of the blending of medieval and ancient cultures, and experience the connection of blood, culture and history between the two countries.
Since June 3, 1847, the first batch of Chinese left their hometowns and traveled across the ocean to Cuba. The overseas Chinese and the Cuban people share the same destiny, devote themselves to the cause of Cuban independence, revolution and construction, promote cultural and economic exchanges and cooperation between China and Cuba, and inherit the special characteristics of the two countries. Friendly relations.
The book “Chinese in Cuban Independence” records a passage from the leader of Cuban independence, General Dequesada, “All Cuban Chinese have fought for freedom. The Chinese fought against the enemy on the battlefield like tigers; even if they were unfortunate enough to be captured , and they gave their lives generously. They shed their last drop of blood generously for the independence of Cuba, but they never had any desire for personal fame or fortune, and they never asked for a bouquet of thanks.” Whether Las Guacímas The 500 Chinese soldiers in the 1,300 Manbi army in the battle were the “Huang Taobai Chinese Militia” established in 1960 in response to Commander-in-Chief Fidel. The overseas Chinese in ancient China integrated the “hero blood” flowing from the descendants of Yan and Huang into Cuba. The progressive struggle for national independence and socialist revolution made a special contribution to the formation of the Cuban nation.
I had the honor to visit Kwong Qiuyun, a famous Chinese painter. Many of her paintings contain Chinese elements such as Chinese characters and folk houses, intertwined with images such as “palm tree”, “hurricane” and “Caribbean Sea”, forming a unique artistic style. For decades, Lin Feilong, Kuang Qiuyun, Li Rongfu and many other overseas Chinese have written beautiful stories of cultural integration and people-to-people bonds in the fields of culture, art, sports, etc. They have shown the excellent traditional Chinese culture to Cuba and even the world. The vitality of Chinese culture has also enriched Cuba’s eclectic spirit of harmony.
After 175 years of development, Chinese and overseas Chinese are now spread across all walks of life in ancient society. Present here today include representatives of the Overseas Chinese Community in Havana Chinatown, teachers who came to Cuba to teach Chinese, and representatives of enterprises committed to pragmatic cooperation. There are a generation of old overseas Chinese, a new generation of immigrants, and Chinese citizens who are permanently stationed in Cuba on business. Some were born in their ancestral country and some were born in Cuba. In my opinion, you have one thing in common. You both love China and Cuba. With the unique diligence and wisdom of Chinese sons and daughters, and the enthusiasm and dedication to contribute to the friendly relationship between China and Cuba, you have written a new poem of the special friendly relationship between the two countries.
Overseas Chinese and friends,
For a long time, all of you here have done a lot of solid work to spread Chinese culture and promote China-Cuba friendship. It is through you and your knowledge that many Cuban friends have a better understanding of China, the Chinese people and Chinese culture. Everyone is very concerned about China, and I would like to take this opportunity to brief you on China’s development.
Despite the pressure brought about by the new crown pneumonia epidemic and changes in the international geopolitical and economic environment, the fundamentals of China’s economic stability and long-term improvement have not changed. China remains one of the few economies in the world that has achieved the dual goals of higher growth and lower inflation. This year, China’s economy started smoothly, with an economic growth of 4.8% in the first quarter, ranking among the top of the major economies. In May, my country’s economy gradually overcame the adverse impact of the epidemic, production demand gradually recovered, employment prices were generally stable, major indicators improved marginally, and the national economy showed a recovery momentum. The Chinese government and people will work hard to efficiently coordinate epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development. On the one hand, we will adhere to scientific and precise, dynamic clearing, and implement various prevention and control measures to minimize the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development. On the one hand, strengthen the implementation of policies to increase speed and efficiency, focus on stabilizing the macroeconomic market, safeguard and improve people’s livelihood, and create a good atmosphere for the victory of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
At the same time, facing the “countercurrent” of economic globalization, the “cold current” of the COVID-19 epidemic, and the “undercurrent” of intertwining traditional and non-traditional security, China has always adhered to peaceful development and win-win cooperation. In September 2021, President Xi Jinping proposed a global development initiative, which aims to promote the re-start of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, promote the building of a global development community, and help achieve a stronger, greener and healthier global development. President Xi Jinping announced a series of practical measures on the implementation of the Global Development Initiative at the High-level Dialogue on Global Development held on the evening of June 24 this year, including the creation of the “Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund”, increased support for China-United Nations peace and development Fund investment, the establishment of the Global Development Promotion Center, the release of the “Global Development Report”, the establishment of a global development knowledge network, etc. In April this year, President Xi Jinping proposed a global security initiative, advocating a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security concept, based on the inseparable security community of mankind, and advocated a path of dialogue rather than confrontation, partnership rather than alliance, and win-win cooperation. A non-zero-sum new security road that injects stability and positive energy into the world. The global security initiative and the global development initiative echo and complement each other, echo the trend of the times for peace, development, cooperation and win-win, coordinate the maintenance of security in traditional and non-traditional fields, seek the greatest common divisor in the international community, and draw the greatest concentric circles for Countries have provided new support for promoting people’s livelihood, seeking development, ensuring security, and building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Overseas Chinese and friends,
Today, three months later, we will celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cuba. This is not only an important milestone in the development of bilateral relations, but also a good opportunity for both sides to sum up experience and plan for development. In 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping and President of the People’s Republic of China will have two phone calls with First Secretary and President of Dias-Canel, steering the development of bilateral relations. In March this year, we successfully held the 4th Sino-Cuba Bipartisan Theory Seminar. The heads of the National People’s Congress, the Supreme People’s Court, and trade union organizations of the two countries held video meetings to deepen the exchange and mutual learning of governance experience. China and Cuba firmly support each other’s development path that suits their own national conditions and oppose foreign interference. China firmly opposes the US blockade and sanctions against Cuba. China and Cuba have cooperated closely on international and multilateral occasions to jointly safeguard international fairness and justice and the rights and interests of developing countries. We highly appreciate and thank Cuba, on behalf of 69 countries, for making a joint speech in support of China at the 50th session of the Human Rights Council, and warmly congratulate Cuba on being elected a member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women with a high vote!
The strong momentum of the development of China-Cuba relations has brought tangible benefits to the two peoples. Practical cooperation in various fields between the two countries has been advancing steadily. In the field of trade , in addition to traditional products such as sucrose, Cuban white shrimp and other seafood have been approved for export to China, and special products such as honey have been launched in the national pavilion of Jingdong.com, one of the largest e-commerce platforms in China. The Cuban side is welcome to continue to attend the China International Import Expo, and may also consider bringing goods through the live broadcast of Chinese “Internet celebrities” to promote Cuban specialty products. Not long ago, the Havana Chinese District Administration held a Chinese-funded enterprise exhibition to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the arrival of Chinese in Cuba, which is a good idea for promoting the trade of goods between the two countries. In the field of renewable energy , 5,000 solar photovoltaic power generation systems for households assisted by the Chinese government have benefited rural families in remote Cuban areas such as Pinadrio and Isla de la Youth; solar photovoltaic parks and biomass power generation projects invested and constructed by Chinese enterprises have been successfully connected to the grid. , to help Cuba’s energy security and green transformation of its energy structure. A number of Chinese companies have recently attended the second Cuban Renewable Energy Expo, and the potential for cooperation between the two sides is huge. In the field of biopharmaceuticals , more than 30 biotechnology cooperation projects have been accelerated, and Cuban monoclonal antibodies, interferon and other leading products have been launched in China one after another, helping to build a healthy China. In the field of education , there are still Chinese students staying in Cuba during the epidemic; Chinese teaching has entered secondary schools from Cuban universities, and more Cuban teenagers are learning Chinese and understanding Chinese culture. The friendship between China and Cuba will surely be passed down from generation to generation.
Overseas Chinese and friends,
As I said at the opening ceremony of the “Chinese in Cuban Historical Memory” seminar, China and Cuba are good comrades, good friends, and good brothers. The exchanges between the two countries in various fields are getting closer, and the overseas Chinese can benefit more from it. The ever-prosperous China and the stronger China-Cuba relations are increasingly becoming the strong backing for the development of overseas Chinese in Cuba. At the same time, the vast number of overseas Chinese in Cuba can also play a bridge role and make positive contributions to deepening the cultivation of people-to-people friendship and maintaining the sound development of bilateral relations.
I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that the Chinese embassy in Cuba is the home of all overseas Chinese in Cuba. My colleagues in the embassy and I are willing to join hands with all walks of life, including the Cuban party and government, friendship associations, and overseas Chinese communities, to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the arrival of the Chinese in Cuba. Taking the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cuba as an opportunity, we will make unremitting efforts to promote the cause of China-Cuba friendship.
