31 March,2015
Respected Hon. H.E. Mr. Sumit Mulllick, Mr. Song Ronghua,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening!
On the eve of the 65th Anniversary since the establishment of Sino-Indian diplomatic relations, on behalf of the Chinese Consulate General, in Mumbai, please allow me to thank all Indian friends here for gathering on this special occasion.
I would also like to extend my special thanks to all those Chinese cultural ambassadors and the film-making team members of Lost in India, who have come from Beijing in this memorable evening
I need also to thank Aura Art for making possible the exchange of artists between China and India.
And, last, but not the least, thank all our friends from ITC hotel who have provided us with such a high level of service.
And now, I would like to share with you an episode of an Indian classical film. Oh, please don't be nervous, it will only take two minutes (Watch episode). Dear friends, this is a film by the founder of Bollywood, Mr. Shantaram. We will never forget him for his leaving such a wonderful film for us. This film describes the story of Dr. Kotnis, who came to Chinese people when they were in the most difficult of times. He, along with other four doctors, left Mumbai for the front line of the war against Japanese Fascism, and in the end he sacrificed his young life to the cause of independence and for the liberation of the Chinese people.
Ladies and gentlemen, the story of Dr. Kotnis has introduced this beautiful city of Mumbai, this beautiful state of Maharashtra and its kind and brave people to the Chinese people. It makes us Chinese cherish a warm relationship with the people of this state, and even this great country.
But much earlier, about 1,400 years ago, Chinese monk Xuanzang once visited the land that is today Maharashtra and left behind a detailed description of it in his famous book "Great Tang Records on the Western Region".
He wrote, "The soil is rich and fertile. It is regularly cultivated and very productive. The climate is hot. The disposition of people is honest and simple. The king is of the Kshatriya(sha-tri-ya) caste; his name is Pulikeshin (Puli-ki-shin). His plans and undertakings are widespread, and his beneficent actions are felt over a great distance."
Those words, even after 1,400 years, are like the continuous and nourishing flow of the River Ganges(Gan-ga), and could make us feel the long history of friendship between China and India. Cultural ties further strengthen these bonds of friendship between our two countries. Today, all the cultural envoys from China have actually followed the footsteps of Xuanzang.
There is a famous saying by Chairman Mao, that to discover truly great and noble hearted men, we have to search from current times. True, both our nations have a glorious history. But even today we are creating a great new history.
A few days ago, H.E. Sumit Mullick(Su-mit Ma-lik) and I jointly led a delegation of Chinese entrepreneurs to Nagpur, in order to learn more about the environment for investments in that region. My colleagues at the Chinese Consulate and many Chinese companies in Maharashtra are now studying the Indian Fiscal Plan for the year 2016, as well as the ambitious plans by Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis.
We are beginning to appreciate and admire the huge potential of economic and trade cooperation , and also realize that the opportunities for project cooperation are booming.
It is already well known that companies like Sinopec, Xiaomi Mobile and Alibaba – among so many others – are keen and ready to enter the Indian market. There are also many Chinese enterprises ready to bid for the construction of the Indian high speed railway, and the Mumbai Metro Line-3.
Chinese companies have set up their plants in Pune, and they are also looking for sites for establishing other new plants. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) has opened a branch in Mumbai, and Bank of China is about to open its office here soon.
We do hope to see more and more Chinese people working at the construction sites in Maharashtra, such as the flyover that is being planned across the sea, the high-speed railway and the industrial park.
I have no doubt that the future of Maharashtra will be like stars shining in the dark sky, and we sincerely hope that among this sky of countless stars, there will be some which reflect Chinese smiles and sweat.
Lastly, let me conclude my speech with this photo. It is well known that the waving machine symbolizes the civilizations of our two countries, and just as this photo indicates, inch by inch, the leaders of our two countries are now waving a great prospect for both China and India. I firmly believe that we could wave at an even brighter future if we joined hands together, thus contributing more to peace and development in Asia, and also for the entire world!
NOW I would now like to raise a toast
-----for the 65th Anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Indian diplomatic relations,
-----for the long life of the friendship between the Chinese people and the Indian people.
-----Cheers!