By H.E. Du Xiaohui, Chinese Ambassador to Zambia
Lusaka, 27 July 2022
Your Honorable Defence MinisterLufuma,
Honorable Distinguished Guests,
Welcome to attend the reception tonight and thank you for being here with us to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
Since the moment of its birth 95 years ago, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the People’s Military has been bravely fighting for the liberation and happiness of the Chinese people as well as the independence and revitalization of the Chinese nation.
Over the past 95 years, the People’s Military has made great sacrifices and scored glorious victories one after another amid wars and difficulties, thus achieved historical merit and won the trust and love of the Chinese people. Meanwhile, the PLA has also made contributions in safeguarding world peace.
At present, guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military, PLA has embarked on a new journey in building a strong military, made constant improvement in making itself more revolutionary, modernized and regularized, and is now much more capable of fulfilling its missions and tasks in the new era. Led by Communist Party of China, PLA will unswervingly follow the road of strengthening the military in the Chinese way, continue to make contributions in the lofty cause of prospering the country, revitalizing the nation, seeking happiness for the Chinese people as well as maintaining world peace and building a community of a shared future for mankind.
Distinguished Guests, the current international situation shows that peace is not a matter of course, it requires the efforts from all peace-loving countries and nations. The Chinese nation has always loved peace. Since the beginning of modern times, the Chinese people has suffered greatly from aggressions and wars, and have learned the value of peace and pressing need for national development, therefore China will never inflict such sufferings on any other country. China’s successful transition from a poor and weak country to the world’s second largest economy is neither by receiving handouts from others nor by engaging military expansion and colonial plunder. Instead, it has developed through Chinese people’s hard work and efforts to maintain peace. The socialist system of China, the independent foreign policy of peace, and the cultural traditions, considering peace and harmony as fundamentals, determine that China will staunchly pursue a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. Zambia is also a country of peace. We sincerely hope that all countries will choose the path of peaceful development and work together to prevent conflict and war.
Currently, human society is undergoing multiple crises rarely seen in history. The way out lies in implementing well the Belt and Road Initiative, Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, while upholding and practicing multilateralism to build a community of a shared future for mankind. China’s development is a great contribution to global peace and development and is also an opportunity for Africa and the world. China will always stand together with Zambia and other developing countries to maintain world peace, security and justice.
China and Zambia enjoy traditional allweatherfriendship, which is unbreakable. A few weeks ago, President Xi Jinping and President Hichilema had a successful telephone conversation which navigated a clear direction for future development of our bilateral relationship. President Hichilema said there were no limits between our two countries’ cooperation. The Chinese side is willing to work together to put into practice of the consensus reached by the two leaders to deepen our traditional friendship and enhance all-dimensional cooperation including defence and security cooperation, to promote the relationship between our two countries and two militaries to a higher level and a wider range of development.
May China-Zambia friendship last forever.
May new progress be made in the exchanges and cooperation between our two militaries.
May you all enjoy good health.
Thank you.