Remarks by Chinese Ambassador to Cyprus Yang Yundong At the Reception in Celebration of the 77th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China And the Welcome Reception of the Ambassador
On 14 September 2026, H.E. Yang Yundong, Ambassador of China to Cyprus, made remarks at the Reception in Celebration of the 77th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China and the Welcome Reception of the Ambassador. The following is the full text of Ambassador Yang’s remarks:
Your Excellency President Nikos Christodoulides,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends, Fellow Chinese Nationals,
Kalispera! Good evening! Today, we gather here to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. On behalf of the Chinese embassy in Cyprus, let me begin by expressing heartfelt thanks to friends from various sectors who have long supported the development of China and the growth of China-Cyprus relations. I also wish our fellow Chinese nationals who work, study and live in Cyprus a happy National Day!
The presence of Mr. President and all our friends makes tonight’s event truly significant. Thank you, Mr. President!
This year marks the 105th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 77th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Over the years, under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people have secured historic accomplishments, especially creating the miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability.
Today, China is the world’s second-largest economy, largest manufacturing power, largest trader in goods, and second-largest consumer market. China has built the world’s largest modern infrastructure network, 5G network, fiber-optic broadband network, and new energy supply and industrial chain. China also boasts the world’s largest education system, social security system, and healthcare system. At the same time, China’s sky has become bluer, its land greener, and its waters clearer. The ever-growing needs of the Chinese people for a better life are being continuously met.
Meanwhile, this year is the beginning year of the 15th Five-Year Plan. Despite facing pressures, China’s economy has continued to move forward with higher-quality and more innovation-driven development. In the first half of this year, China’s economy grew by 4.7 percent, in line with the annual growth target and ranking among the fastest-growing major economies.
China continues to expand high-standard opening-up, creating platforms for openness and cooperation such as the China International Import Expo and the China International Fair for Trade in Services. China has introduced unilateral visa-free policies for citizens of 50 countries, including Cyprus, and has become a major trading partner of more than 160 countries and regions. China is pursuing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation together with more than three quarters of countries around the world.
China is also one of the world’s major sources of innovation. The humanoid robot “Lightning” broke the human world record in a half-marathon; the semiconductor “Tao’s Law” emerged as a new breakthrough; China’s space program has achieved both sea-based and land-based rocket recovery; and the world’s first open-source large model with nearly three trillion parameters, Kimi K3, was launched to global attention. China’s innovation is attracting the eyes of the world.
Dear friends,
Faced with profound changes unseen in a century and an international landscape with both turbulence and uncertainty, Chinese President Xi Jinping has advocated building a community with a shared future for humanity. Under such vision, he has put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative. Together, these initiatives form an integrated approach that promotes prosperity through development, safeguards stability through security, enhances mutual trust through civilization, and pursues greater fairness through improved global governance. They have injected valuable stability and positive energy into a turbulent world.
It needs to be stressed that China is vigorously deepening global partnerships. We remain committed to dialogue rather than confrontation, and partnership rather than alliance. We have established 153 partnerships with countries and regional organizations. In particular, the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership has made steady progress. In China-EU relations, Cyprus has long played a constructive role. During its presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of this year, Cyprus continued to strongly support China-EU relations. The Chinese side highly appreciates this.
China is firmly committed to upholding peace and security. During his recent visit to Egypt, President Xi Jinping made four proposals for promoting common security in the Middle East, once again offering China’s vision and solutions for achieving lasting peace and stability in the region. Moreover, China is the second-largest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping operations and the largest contributor of peacekeeping troops among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. Chinese peacekeepers have been safeguarding peace in mission areas, including Cyprus.
China is actively contributing to global governance. We firmly support the central role of the UN in international affairs. We have promoted the historic expansion of BRICS, supported the continued development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and backed the African Union’s membership in the G20, thereby enhancing the representation and voice of Global South countries. In July this year, the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization was launched in Shanghai, with the aim of building a fairer and more equitable global AI governance system.
Mr. President, dear friends,
This year also marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the fifth anniversary of the strategic partnership between China and Cyprus. At this crucial juncture, I am deeply honored to be appointed by President Xi Jinping as Ambassador of China to Cyprus.
During the past 70 days since my arrival, I have held intensive meetings with friends from various sectors of Cyprus and with colleagues from the diplomatic corps. I have been deeply impressed by your warmth, friendship, and strong desire to further strengthen cooperation between our two countries. This has greatly encouraged me and filled me with confidence in the work ahead.
Though geographically far apart and different in size, China and Cyprus share similar visions and interests. Over the past 55 years, China-Cyprus relations have maintained steady and sound growth, setting a good example of equality, mutual respect and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries with different sizes.
Importantly, both President Xi Jinping and President Nikos Christodoulides have attached great importance to and have personally guided the development of bilateral ties. Political mutual trust between our two countries has thus continued to deepen. We have firmly supported each other on issues concerning sovereignty and territorial integrity. In particular, Cyprus has consistently adhered to the one-China policy, and China has resolutely taken a just stand on the Cyprus problem, and firmly supported the efforts of the government and people of Cyprus to safeguard their national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Our economic and trade cooperation has grown stronger. Last year, bilateral trade in goods reached US$1.44 billion, hitting a record high. People-to-people and cultural exchanges have also flourished. For example, the Chinese Film Week in Cyprus was successfully held in the first half of this year. One highlight after another has emerged in the Confucius Institutes at the University of Cyprus and the Cyprus University of Technology, as well as the Center on China Studies jointly established by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the European University Cyprus. The China-Cyprus Sister City Alliance has thrived. An increasing number of Cypriot friends have visited China and excitedly shared with me their unforgettable memories.
Friends,
In just a few days, the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival will arrive—a time for family reunions and celebrating the harvest. I would like to wish everyone a happy festival in advance.
An ancient Chinese saying goes, “True friends have no distance; even thousands of miles apart, we remain neighbors.”
In this spirit, I would like to propose a toast:
To the 77th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China,
To the friendship between China and Cyprus and between our two peoples, and
To the health and happiness of Mr. President and all distinguished guests and your families.
Cheers! Thank you!
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
