Remarks by Ambassador H.E. Bai Tian at the 2018 National Day Reception

尊敬的马来西亚农业和农基产业部长拿督沙拉胡丁，

尊敬的马来西亚下议院议长拿督莫哈末·阿里夫，

尊敬的马来西亚财政部长林冠英，国际贸易与工业部长雷金，企业发展部长里庄，能源、科学、科技、气候变化与环境部长杨美盈，

尊敬的各位部长、副部长、政党领袖，

各国驻马大使、最高专员，

女士们、先生们、朋友们，

　　晚上好！感谢大家齐聚香格里拉，与我们共同庆祝中华人民共和国成立69周年。感谢刚才侨民华小合唱团纯真质朴的演唱，你们的声音充满生机和希望。

The Honourable Dato' Minister Salahuddin bin Haji Ayub, Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry,

Honourable Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Dato' Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof,

Honourable Minister of Finance Mr. Lim Guan Eng,

Minister of International Trade and Industry Mr. Ignatius Dorell Leiking,

Minister of Entrepreneurship Development Mr. Mohd Redzuan Yusof, Minister of Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment Ms. Yeo Bee Yin,

Respected Ministers, Vice Ministers, party leaders,

Ambassadors, Excellencies,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

A very good evening and a warm welcome to you all! Thank you for joining us to celebrate the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. My thanks also go to boys and girls of the S.J.K. Kheow Bin School Choir, for their pure and celestial performance of the two national anthems.

　　2018年对中国和中国人民而言意义非凡，因为今年是中国改革开放40周年，也是习近平主席提出“一带一路”倡议5周年。

　　中国的改革开放对中国乃至世界而言都是一个重大历史事件。坚持改革开放，让中国人民将一个积贫积弱的国家建设成为全球第二大经济体、第一大工业国、第一大货物贸易国、第一大外汇储备国。中国的GDP在过去40年中增长21倍，从1978年的1490亿美元增长至今天的1.2万亿美元。7亿多贫困人口成功脱贫，农村贫困发生率从97.5%将至3.1%。在这40年里，中国发生了翻天覆地的变化，成就了举世瞩目的“中国奇迹”。

2018 is a monumental year for China and the Chinese people because it marks the 40th anniversary of the Reform and Opening up of China and the 5th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Chinese president Xi Jinping.

China's Reform and Opening up is a historical, political and economic phenomenon, not only in China but also in the world. By committing to the Reform and Opening up, Chinese people have turned their motherland from a poor and weak country into the second largest economy in the world, a country holding the largest industrial output, cargo trading, and foreign currency reserve and many other achievements.

We achieved an increase of GDP by more than 20 folds from a marginal 149 billion US dollars in 1978 to over 13 trillion US dollars today. Our poverty headcount ratio in the rural area has dropped from 97.5% to 3.1%. With 40 years' reform and opening up, China has gone through dramatic changes and created an economic miracle.