Remarks by H. E. Wang Qishan Vice President of the People's Republic of China At the Second Paris Peace Forum

尊敬的马克龙总统，

各位嘉宾：

　　很高兴出席第二届巴黎和平论坛。

President Emmanuel Macron,

Dear participants,

It gives me great pleasure to attend the second Paris Peace Forum.

　　和平是人类共同的追求。在经历了第二次世界大战的浩劫后，国际社会建立了以联合国宪章宗旨和原则为核心的国际秩序，维系形成了全球意义上70多年的总体和平，世界经济、社会和科学技术发展成就巨大，人类福祉空前提高。今天，世界不稳定不确定因素上升，人类又走到了十字路口。面对问题，大家关心中国怎么看、怎么办？

Peace is the common aspiration of mankind. Having suffered from the scourge of World War II, the international community established an international order anchored on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. It has ensured 70-plus years of world-wide peace, remarkable economic, social, scientific and technological progress, and unprecedented improvement in people's life. However, with growing uncertainties and destabilizing factors in the world, humanity has once again come to a crossroads. How does China see the problems we face? What is China's response? This is a matter of interest to many in the world.

　　故事是历史的反映，逻辑是历史的抽象，故事胜于逻辑。中国刚刚举行了中华人民共和国建国70周年庆典，我愿简要回首来路，讲述中国故事，加深大家对中国的了解理解。

　　中华民族在漫长的农耕文明时期有着骄人的辉煌。由于固步自封和闭关锁国，近代以后中国坠入了半封建半殖民地的悲惨境地。从1840年鸦片战争以后的100多年里，中国人民为实现民族独立、人民解放苦苦寻觅、上下求索。

Stories are factual accounts of what happened in history, and logic is abstracted from history. Yet stories are a more powerful presentation of history than logic. We in China just celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic. So let me walk you through the journey we have traversed in the past, and share with you some of the notable episodes. Hopefully it will be helpful for your further understanding of China.

The Chinese nation had its glorious moments during the long agrarian era. However, due to self-isolation and closed-door policies, the country slumped into a tragic semi-feudal and semi-colonial society in the modern period. Our forefathers had searched high and low for the path to national independence and liberation for over a century since the Opium War in 1840.

　　1949年新中国成立，实现了中国人“站起来”的梦想，民族自信极大激发。但是，刚刚起步的新中国一穷二白。为建设新中国，中国人民在中国共产党的领导下，艰苦奋斗、顽强拼搏，付出了高昂的代价，取得了显著的成就。

　　1978年中国实行改革开放。国门初开，我们感觉到新鲜、激动，也充满了希望。对比西方发达国家，我们看到了差距，一些人甚至极端地讨论“西方的月亮真的比中国的圆吗”？

The founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 enabled the Chinese people to stand up, and greatly boosted their self-confidence. Yet New China was poor and weak in its nascent years. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people engaged in an arduous struggle, made huge sacrifices, and scored remarkable achievements in national development.

In 1978, China adopted the reform and opening-up policy. When we first opened up to the world, everything looked new, exciting and promising. We saw the gap between China and developed countries in the West. Some of us even went as far as to wonder "if the moon in the West is indeed fuller than that in China".

　　40多年来，我们聚焦发展、埋头苦干，坚定不移深化改革、扩大开放，顺应了历史潮流，找到了适合自已的中国特色社会主义道路。从“没见过”、“没吃过”、“没干过”，到“见过”、“没吃过”、“没干过”，再到“吃过”、“见过”、“干过”，中国人民生活水平发生了巨大变化，中国国家面貌和人民精神面貌也发生了新的变化。

Forty years on, we have focused all our energy on development and pursued reform and opening-up with firm determination. We have embarked on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics that suits us well, a path that goes along with the trend of history. From not knowing how the world looked like to seeing the world with their own eyes and to enjoying practically everything the world has to offer, the Chinese people now lead a much better life. Both the country and the people have taken on a new look.