Full text of Chinese premier's speech at University of Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE, Britain, Feb. 2 (Chinese media) --The following is the full text of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's speech at the University of Cambridge on Monday.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao delivers a speech at University of Cambridge in Cambridge of Britain Feb. 2, 2009. (Chinese media/Yao Dawei)
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See China in the Light of Her

Development

Speech at the University of Cambridge

Wen Jiabao

Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic

of China

2 February 2009

Vice Chancellor Alison Richard, Ladies and

Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to come to Cambridge, a

world-renowned university that I have long wanted to visit. Cambridge has

produced many great scientists and thinkers Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and

Francis Bacon, to name but a few, and made important contribution to the

progress of human civilization. This year marks the 800th anniversary of the

university. Please accept my warm congratulations.

This is my fourth visit to your country. Despite the

great distance between China and Britain, the friendly exchanges between our

peoples have been on the rise. The successful resolution of the question of Hong

Kong and fruitful cooperation between our two countries in areas such as

economy, trade, culture, education, science and technology have cemented the

foundation of our comprehensive strategic partnership. Here, I wish to pay high

tribute to all those who have been working tirelessly to promote friendly ties

between our two countries.

The title of my speech today is "See China in the

Light of Her Development".

My beloved motherland is a country both old and

young.

She is old, because she is a big Oriental country

with a civilization stretching back several thousand years. With diligence and

wisdom, the Chinese nation created a splendid civilization and made significant

contributions to the progress of humanity.

She is young, because the People's Republic is just

60 years old, and the country began reform and opening-up only 30 years ago. The

Chinese people established the New China after unremitting struggles and

ultimately found a development path suited to China's national conditions

through painstaking efforts. This is the path of socialism with Chinese

characteristics. Following this path, our ancient civilization has been

rejuvenated.

The key element of China's reform and opening-up is

to free people's mind and the most fundamental and significant component is

institutional innovation. Through economic reform, we have built a socialist

market economy, where the market plays a primary role in allocating resources

under government macro-regulation. We have carried out political reform,

promoted democracy and improved the legal system. People are the masters of the

country. We run the country according to law and endeavor to build a socialist

country under the rule of law.

The essence of China's reform and opening-up is to

put people first and meet their ever growing material and cultural needs through

releasing and developing productive forces. It aims to give everyone equal

opportunities for all-round development. It aims to protect the democratic

rights of the people and promote stability, harmony and prosperity across the

land. And it aims to safeguard the dignity and freedom of everyone so that he or

she may pursue happiness with ingenuity and hard

work.

Over the past three decades, more than 200 million

Chinese have been lifted out of poverty, the average life expectancy has

increased by 5 years, and the 83 million people with disabilities in China have

received special care from the government and the society. All this points to

the tremendous efforts China has made to protect human rights. We have

introduced free nine-year compulsory education throughout the country,

established the cooperative medical system in the rural areas and improved the

social safety net. The age-old dream of the Chinese nation is being turned into

reality a dream to see the young educated, the sick treated and the old cared

for.

I want to quote from a Tang Dynasty poem to describe

what is happening in China, "From shore to shore it is wide at high tide, and

before fair wind a sail is lifting." The Chinese people are working hard to

modernize their country. This is a great practice in a large developing country

both ancient and new. The Chinese people, with destiny in their own hands, are

full of confidence in their future.

My beloved motherland is a country that stood

numerous vicissitudes but never gave up.

Earlier in my career, I worked in northwest China for

many years. There, in the boundless desert, grows a rare variety of tree called

euphrates poplar. Rooted over 50 meters down the ground, they thrive in hostile

environments, defying droughts, sandstorms and salinization. They are known as

the "hero tree", because a euphrates poplar can live for a thousand years. Even

after it dies, it stands upright for a thousand years, and even after it falls,

it stays intact for another thousand years. I like euphrates poplar because they

symbolize the resilience of the Chinese nation.

Over the millennia, the Chinese nation has weathered

numerous disasters, both natural and man-made, surmounted all kinds of

difficulties and challenges, and made her way to where she proudly stands today.

The long sufferings have only made her a nation of fortitude and perseverance.

The experience of the Chinese nation attests to a truth: what a nation loses in

times of disaster will be made up for by her

progress.

I am reminded of the experience that I had in

Wenchuan, Sichuan Province after the devastating earthquake there last May. That

earthquake shocked the whole world. It flattened Beichuan Middle School and

claimed many young lives. But only 10 days after the earthquake, when I went

there for the second time, I had before my eyes new classrooms built on debris

by local villagers with planks. Once again, the campus echoed with the sound of

students reading aloud. I wrote down 4 Chinese characters on the blackboard,

meaning "A country will emerge stronger from adversities." I have been to

Wenchuan seven times since the earthquake and witnessed countless touching

scenes like this. I am deeply moved by the unyielding spirit of my people. This

great national spirit is the source of strength which has enabled the Chinese

nation to emerge from all the hardships stronger than

before.

With hard work over the past half century and more,

China has achieved great progress. Its total economic output is now one of the

largest in the world. However, we remain a developing country and we are keenly

aware of the big gap that we have with the developed countries. There has been

no fundamental change in our basic national condition: a big population, weak

economic foundation and uneven development. China's per capita GDP ranks behind

100 countries in the world and is only about 1/18 that of Britain. Those of you

who have been to China as tourists must have seen the modern cities, but our

rural areas are still quite backward.

To basically achieve modernization by the middle of

this century, we must accomplish three major tasks: first, achieve

industrialization, which Europe has long completed, while keeping abreast of the

latest trends of the scientific and technological revolution; second, promote

economic growth while ensuring social equity and justice; and third, pursue

sustainable development at home while accepting our share of international

responsibilities. The journey ahead will be long and arduous, but no amount of

difficulty will stop the Chinese people from marching forward. Through

persistent efforts, we will reach our goal.

My beloved motherland is a country that values her

traditions while opening her arms to the outside

world.

The traditional Chinese culture is rich, extensive

and profound. Harmony, the supreme value cherished in ancient China, lies at the

heart of the Chinese culture. The Book of History, an ancient classic in China

for example, advocates amity among people and friendly exchanges among

nations.

The Chinese cultural tradition values peace as the

most precious. This has nurtured the broad mind of the Chinese nation. The

Chinese nation is generous and tolerant, just as Mother Earth cares for all

living things. She is in constant pursuit of justice, just as the eternal

movement of the Universe.

In the 15th century, the famous Chinese navigator

Zheng He led seven maritime expeditions to the Western Seas and reached over

30countries. He took with him Chinese tea, silk and porcelain and helped local

people fight pirates as he sailed along. He was truly a messenger of love and

friendship.

The argument that a big power is bound to seek

hegemony does not apply to China. Seeking hegemony goes against China's cultural

tradition as well as the will of the Chinese people. China's development harms

no one and threatens no one. We shall be a peace-loving country, a country that

is eager to learn from and cooperate with others. We are committed to building a

harmonious world.

Different countries and nations need to respect,

tolerate and learn from each other's culture. Today, 300 million Chinese are

learning English and over one million of our young people are studying abroad.

The cultures and arts of various parts of the world are featured daily on

China's television, radio and print media. Had we not learned from others

through exchanges and enriched ourselves by drawing on others' experience, we

would not have enjoyed today's prosperity and

progress.

In the 21st century, economic globalization and the

information network have linked us all together. Different cultures live

together and influence each other. No culture can flourish in isolation. How

much a country or a nation contributes to the culture of humanity is

increasingly determined by her ability to absorb foreign cultures and renew

herself. That is why China will remain open and receptive, value her own

traditions while drawing on others' successful experience, and achieve economic

prosperity and social progress in a civilized and harmonious way.