China has become an important player in the international system. It has joined more than 100 inter-governmental organizations and acceded to over 300 international conventions. It has taken an active part in international and regional affairs and earnestly fulfilled its international obligations. In recent years, it has played an important role on such issues as counter-terrorism, non-proliferation, the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, the Iranian nuclear issue and so on. China is the largest contributor of peacekeeping personnel among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. It has participated in 22 UN peacekeeping operations and dispatched a total of more than 10,000 peacekeeping personnel, including 2,000 who are currently on peacekeeping missions.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The year 2008 is a challenging one for China. We were first hit by the snow storm in southern China and then the devastating earthquake in Sichuan. In the face of the natural disasters, the entire Chinese nation rallied together with one heart and one mind, and achieved great success in the relief efforts. Here, I would like to pay high tribute to the United States and many other countries for their generous support. We have also stepped up macro-economic control to address the problems in the economy and maintained stable and fairly fast growth. In the first half of this year, China's GDP was up by 10.4 percent over the corresponding period of last year. The Chinese Government is now focusing on the following three major tasks: first, to press ahead with disaster relief and reconstruction; second, to ensure sound and fast economic and social development; and third, to deliver a high-standard Olympic Games with distinctive features. We are confident that with the support of the international community, we will achieve the above goals.

Looking ahead to the future, we will continue to advance reform and opening up, follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics and pursue the strategy of peaceful development. The future looks very encouraging.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of China-US diplomatic relations around the end of this year and the beginning of the next. China-US relationship has come a long way and achieved remarkable progress over the past 30 years. The growth of China-US relations has not only brought huge benefits to the two countries and the two peoples, but also profoundly contributed to world peace and development. Since the beginning of the new century, China and the United States have expanded common interests and strategic consensus, intensified dialogue, exchanges and mutually-beneficial cooperation, and brought our bilateral relations to a new stage of development. The following are some of the salient features of today's China-US relations:

-High-level contacts and exchanges between China and the United States are getting ever more frequent. Through their successful mutual visits, President Hu Jintao and President Bush reached the important agreement that China and the United States are not only stakeholders but also constructive partners, which represents the way forward in developing the constructive and cooperative China-US relations. Over the past seven years and more, the two presidents have met 18 times and maintained regular contact through telephone calls and correspondence to exchange views and coordinate positions on major issues of shared interest. The unprecedented high-level exchanges between the two sides have given a strong boost to the strategic mutual trust and the overall improvement and growth of the China-US relations.

-Economic interests of China and the United States are becoming ever more interconnected. We are now each other's second largest trading partner. China is the third largest export market for the US and has been the fastest growing export market for the US in the last six years. By the end of last May, the United States had invested over $58.1 billion in more than 55,000 projects in China, covering a wide range of sectors, including, among others, agriculture, manufacturing and financial services. The two sides have also intensified dialogue and expanded cooperation in such fields as energy and resources, environmental protection and macro-economic policies. Not long ago, China and the United States signed the 10 Year Energy and Environment Cooperation Framework, launched negotiations on a bilateral investment protection agreement and agreed to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in the financial services sector.

-Coordination and cooperation between China and the United States in international affairs have been expanding. It has become a common practice in recent years for China and the United States to work together in responding to various traditional and non-traditional security threats. We have had productive communication and coordination on many issues, including counter-terrorism, non-proliferation, the Korean nuclear issue, the Iranian nuclear issue and so on. Our coordination and cooperation in international affairs have served as a new catalyst for the development of bilateral relations. They are also of great significance to promoting regional and international peace and stability.