Speech by Mr. Qiu Xuejun, Chinese Consul General in Munich, on the 

Reception Celebrating the 77th Founding Anniversary of the People's Republic of China

September 24, 2026

Distinguished Ministerial Director-General Tina Dangl,

Distinguished Consul General Tordai-Lejkó, Dean of the Consular Corps in Bavaria,

Distinguished DDG Gao Qing of Culture and Tourism Department of Hubei Provincial People’s Government,

Distinguished guests, fellow compatriots,

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends:

Good afternoon!

Today, we gather here with happiness and joy to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. First, allow me, on behalf of the Chinese Consulate General in Munich, to extend warmest welcome to you all! I’d also like to welcome my colleagues from the Consular Corps who have taken the time to attend, and to express my appreciation for your professionalism and the excellent cooperation we share. Tomorrow marks the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all fellow compatriots and your families a very happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

With China’s "14th Five-Year Plan" having successfully concluded in 2025, 2026 marks a promising start to the country’s "15th Five-Year Plan." Over the past year, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core, the Chinese people have forged ahead with high spirits and determination, striding confidently along the path of Chinese-style modernization and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

This year marks the 105th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China. Looking back at 105 years of glorious history and ahead to the grand journey toward building a great modern socialist country in all respects and achieving the Second Centenary Goal by the middle of this century, the Chinese people of all ethnic groups—led by the Communist Party—are pressing forward on this new journey with a profound sense of historical mission, striving to make new achievements in this new era and create new historical glories!

In March of this year, the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress adopted the resolution on the Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China (2026–2030). The "15th Five-Year Plan" sets out the goals for the Chinese people to strive for during the 2026–2030 period and outlines the national strategic blueprint for a critical phase in the country's journey toward basically achieving socialist modernization.

In 2025, China's gross domestic product (GDP) reached ¥140.1879 trillion, crossing the 140-trillion-yuan mark for the first time; calculated at constant prices, this represented a 5.0% increase over the previous year, successfully meeting the annual target. Per capita disposable income of residents grew by 5.0% in real terms, matching the rate of GDP growth. Economic development shifted toward new drivers and higher quality, with steady growth in new quality productive forces; the value-added of high-tech manufacturing enterprises above designated size rose to 17.1% of the total value-added of industrial enterprises above designated size, and R&D expenditure intensity reached 2.8%.

From January to July of this year, industrial enterprises above designated size nationwide realized total profits of 4.5821 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 17.6%, while the operating revenue of service enterprises above designated size grew by 5.7% year-on-year. During the January–August period, the total volume of the country’s imports and exports in goods trade reached 34.7753 trillion yuan, up 17.6% year-on-year. Meanwhile, China has accelerated its green and low-carbon transition; in the first half of the year, the share of coal-fired power generation fell below 50% for the first time, while renewable energy accounted for 41.2% of total power generation. By the end of July, the country's installed capacity for photovoltaic power generation had reached 1.286 billion kilowatts—historically surpassing coal power to become China's largest power source. China has established the world's largest clean power generation system, thereby contributing proactively to addressing global climate change while ensuring high-quality economic development.

In March of this year, the Law of the People's Republic of China on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress was adopted at the Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress and came into effect on July 1. This law provides a robust legal guarantee for forging a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation, modernizing the governance system and capacity for ethnic affairs and upholding the great unity and common progress of all ethnic groups in China.

Distinguished guests, fellow compatriots, dear friends,

Profound changes unseen in a century are unfolding rapidly across the globe. While counter-currents of hegemonism, unilateralism and protectionism are at play, the prevailing trend of peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit remains unstoppable. The people of the world have never ceased their pursuit of the shared human values of peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom. As a responsible major country, China consistently contributes its wisdom and demonstrates its sense of responsibility to the world.

Recently, the four major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping—the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative—have been incorporated into the UN Human Rights Council Report for the first time. This September, President Xi Jinping attended the summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS in Bishkek and New Delhi respectively. There, he delivered important speeches and put forward a series of constructive proposals, advocating for an equal and orderly multipolar world, fairer and more equitable global governance and working together to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

China puts true multilateralism into practice through concrete actions. It actively provides international public goods, acts as a stabilizing force helping the international community jointly address the turbulence and challenges, promotes mutually beneficial global cooperation and advances the shared well-being of humanity.

On July 16 of this year, the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) was established in Shanghai, providing an important platform to foster international cooperation and global governance in AI fields, and to ensure the technology’s healthy and orderly development in a beneficial, safe, and equitable direction. At the recently held Beijing Xiangshan Forum, approximately 2,000 guests from over 100 countries, regions, and international organizations engaged in in-depth exchanges on pressing international issues, using communication to iron out differences, and dialogue to foster cooperation. In mid-September, the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) and the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) were held in Beijing in the north and Xiamen in the south of China respectively, showcasing China’s cooperation list to the rest of the world. In early November, the annual edition of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) will take place in Shanghai, continuing to open China’s market to the world. On November 18–19, the APEC summit will be held in Shenzhen, China, once again placing China’s major-country host diplomacy in the global spotlight.

Just yesterday, President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington and began his state visit to the United States. President Xi Jinping pointed out that China and the United States, as two major countries, can find a right way to get along in the new era and should work in the same direction, promote a stable relationship featuring cooperation as the mainstay, moderate competition, manageable differences, and promises of peace.The exchange of visits between the two heads of state within six months is of historic and milestone significance, providing both sides with a crucial opportunity to make 2026 a historic year that opens a new chapter in China-U.S. relations. The healthy development of China-U.S. relations serves the fundamental interests of both countries and reflects the shared aspirations of the Chinese and American peoples, as well as all the people around the world. Guided by head-of-state diplomacy, the great ship of China-U.S. relations will surely sail steadily forward, charting a right way for the two major countries to get along in the new era.

As two major forces promoting multi-polarization, two major markets supporting globalization and two major civilizations advocating diversity, China and Europe are partners rather than rivals. There are no fundamental conflicts of interest or geopolitical contradictions between us; cooperation outweighs competition, and common grounds outnumber differences.

In February, Chancellor Merz paid his first official visit to China, becoming the first foreign leader hosted by China following the Chinese New Year holiday. During the visit, the German side has reaffirmed that it firmly upholds the one-China policy. The leaders of both countries spoke highly of the sound cooperation within the framework of the China-Germany all-round strategic partnership and agreed that mutual respect, mutual benefit, continued open dialogue, and cooperative responses to shared challenges constitute the fundamental principles for developing the bilateral relationship.

Bavaria plays a unique role as a pioneer and leading force in sub-national relations between China and Germany. Earlier this year, my colleagues and I visited the town of Roth—the final resting place of the late Bavarian Minister-President Franz Josef Strauss—to pay tribute to this trailblazer of friendship between Bavaria and China, and between Germany and China. For over half a century, the friendship between China and Bavaria has been passed down through generations and has grown ever stronger.

Economic and trade cooperation between our two sides has yielded impressive results. By 2025, China had held the position of Bavaria’s largest global trading partner for ten consecutive years. In 2025, Bavaria ranked first among all German federal states in terms of trade volume with China. Throughout the year, cooperation between enterprises from both sides in areas such as trade, investment and R&D has continued to deepen, leading to a series of fruitful outcomes.

Sub-national cooperation and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides have reached a new level. Interactions between sister cities—such as those between Shenzhen and Nuremberg, Qingdao and Regensburg, Fuoshan and ‌Ingolstadt, Jinan and ‌Augsburg‌ and between the Yuhuatai District of Nanjing and the town of Dietfurt—have remained frequent, featuring a rich array of cultural exchanges. A Bavarian press delegation visited China for the first time, touring Beijing, Guangdong, and Sichuan. 

Distinguished guests, fellow compatriots, dear friends,

On behalf of the Consulate General of China in Munich, I would like to express my gratitude to all walks of life of Bavaria and the fellow compatriots living here for your keen interest in and active contributions to the cause of friendship between China and Bavaria, and between China and Germany as well. Next year will mark the 40th launch anniversary of the  sisterhood between Shandong Province and State of Bavaria, and the 30th launch anniversary of the sisterhood between Shenzhen and Nuremberg, the relationship between China and Bavaria is set to open a brilliant new chapter. Let us join hands to welcome an even brighter future for the friendship between China and Bavaria—and between China and Germany—and contribute to the healthy development of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.

In closing, let us join in wishing China and Germany prosperity and their peoples happiness and well-being; may the friendship between China and Germany, as well as the State of Bavaria be ever-vibrant; I wish all our guests happiness, good health, and success in all your endeavors; and I wish all our fellow compatriots a very happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Thank you all!