(15:00-17:00, Dec.12th, Embassy)

Ladies and gentlemen,

Distinguished guests from academic circle and media house present,

Welcome to the Embassy! Over the past year, you have done a good job in fostering mutual understanding and cooperation between China and Lesotho, through your research, insights, or coverage. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your hard work and it is my great pleasure to join you in this meeting. I am expecting in-depth exchanges of views on how to strengthen China-Lesotho strategic partnership, as well as the sound and cordial relations between you and my Embassy.

I’ve been in Lesotho for 6 months. During my stay here, I’ve visited all the 10 districts of the country, met Basotho friends. What impressed me the most is your hospitality and friendship. And such hospitality and friendship is just the way how Chinese people treat their friends. As the Chinese Ambassador here,my job is to make friends with Lesotho people and promote our bilateral relations.

This very same hospitality and friendship is not a coincidence, but with deep-rooted philosophy and spirit. Such a spirit is conveyed by a concept proposed by the Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013,which is “building a community with a shared future for mankind”.The concept has become China’s flagship vision to collectively address global challenges facing the world today. It has already been written into China’s Constitution, the Communist Party of China’s Constitution，and the Report to the 20th CPC National Congress. Guided by the concept, China has always worked to safeguard world peace,contribute to global development, and preserve international order. It has also been written into UN Resolutions and documents, serving as a strong appeal for the globe to get united and strive for a better future.

To answer the question concerning what kind of community it should be, President Xi further proposed the three major global initiatives, namely the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative. These initiatives demonstrate China’s vision that, as a global community, mankind cannot be separated, and each country must prioritize the essential needs for development, security and diversity among communities, regardless of national or international changes. It is primarily based on China’s traditional cultural value of harmony and equality. It emphasizes that if one country focuses solely on its own success while its neighbors are left behind, this imbalance could lead to conflicts that ultimately harm all the stakeholders. Guided by this, China focuses on addressing the unique needs of developing countries and resolving issues of unequal and insufficient development both within and among nations. At the same time, China respect other nations’ national sovereignty, territorial integrity, uphold the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, and respect the right of all countries to independently choose their development paths. These are the essence of the five principles of peaceful coexistence. This year marks the 70th anniversary of their initiation.

China has been adhering to such principles in its cooperation with African countries. China is the largest developing country in the world, and Africa is the continent with the largest number of developing countries. Shared past experiences and similar aims and goals have brought China and Africa close together. The success of the FOCAC Beijing Summit this year pushed China-Africa cooperation to a new and unprecedented height. The Summit charted the course for jointly building an All-Weather China-Africa Community with a Shared Future for the New Era. It is the embodiment of a community with a shared future for mankind in the African continent. It is also a testament of China’s commitment to the common prosperity and modernization of the “Global South”.

As for how to realize the vision of prosperity and modernization, the key answer is development. Development is the master key to all problems. Currently, the world economy is striving for recovery. Uneven development remains a global problem. In this context, China commits itself to the new development philosophy,adopts the right approach to development, and endeavors to transform the growth model. By promoting the concept of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development, China has realized a constant improvement in the quality and effect of development. The Third Plenary Session of the Twentieth Central Committee of the CPC held several months ago has pointed out the direction for China to further comprehensively deepen reform and promote Chinese modernization.Moreover, development is the common aspiration and universal expectation of all developing countries. China not only develops itself, but also drives the development of the “Global South” by offering its experience and wisdom, through practical cooperation and creating opportunities. This is exactly what we have been trying to do in Lesotho over the years.

The year 2023-2024 has been a year of extraordinary significance and remarkable achievements. This year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations between China and Lesotho, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and we celebrated the 200th anniversary of the founding of Basotho Nation. Looking back on this year, we have seen the China-Lesotho cooperation achieve numerous milestones.

We witnessed the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Matekane successfully attended the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, where he met with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and other Chinese leaders, injecting new vitality into China-Lesotho friendship. We witnessed the elevation of China-Lesotho relations to the level of a strategic partnership, marking a new height in our bilateral relation. We witnessed the completion and handover of key projects such as Maseru District Hospital and Eye Clinic, the Mpiti to Sehlaba-Thebe road, and so on, which have become new exemplars of practical and friendly cooperation between our two countries. Just last week, I personally visited the Mpiti to Sehlaba-Thebe road. This road, recognized as the "most beautiful road" in Lesotho, leads not only to the stunning view of Lesotho National Park but also to the bright future and aspirations of the people of Lesotho. Such cooperation not only contribute to the economic and social development of Lesotho but also add a vivid chapter to the commemorative record of our friendly cooperation this year. I am glad to see that such friendly cooperation has been recognized by Basotho friends. In a recent survey conducted by a world leading polling agency, Afrobarometer, 71% of Basotho recognize China’s positive political and economic influence on Lesotho, ranking the second just after SADC. China is also recognized as the most helpful country during Covid-19 pandemic.

Reflecting on the past year, we have achieved abundant results. This year, there have been frequent high-level exchanges between China and Lesotho, with the top officials of our two countries exchanging letters 8 times and holding 8 visits at the ministerial level or higher. This year, both sides have repeatedly and firmly supported each other on issues of core interest and major concerns. This year, China has provided more than 300 government scholarships and various training opportunities to Lesotho, further enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between our peoples. Several of you here today also participated in visits and training programs in China in 2024. This year, the Confucius Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology jointly established by China and Lesotho has been officially launched. This year, Chinese Embassy actively supported various public welfare activities organized by the Lesotho side, donating seedlings, care packages, and other materials. This year, Chinese medical team to Lesotho completed over 12000 outpatient and emergency consultations. The list goes on.

Two days ago, the Police Fingerprint Examination Laboratory built with China's assistance was successfully handed over. This is the first successful handover of a project after the Beijing summit of FOCAC and also a tangible outcome of the "Action for Common Security" under the "Ten Partnership Actions". This project marks a perfect conclusion to 2024’s bilateral cooperation, and fills me with confidence in the further deepening of China-Lesotho cooperation and our joint pursuit of modernization in the coming year. We will continue to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of our two countries at the Beijing Summit of FOCAC, strengthening practical cooperation in all areas under the "Ten Partnership Actions" and ensuring fast and high-quality results that benefit both our countries and peoples.

Thank you all again for being here today. Wish you a more fruitful 2025 and let’s continue working closely together for a more fruitful China-Lesotho friendship in the coming year.

Khotso, Pula,Nala!