President Hu Jintao's 2012 New Year Speech: Jointly Promoting World Peace and Development

On the eve of 2012, President Hu Jintao delivered a New Year message entitled Jointly Promoting World Peace and Development via China Radio International, China National Radio and China Central Television. Following is the full text:

The New Year's bell is about to ring and it is time to bid farewell to the old and usher in the new. At this happy moment, I'm delighted to extend, via China Radio International, China National Radio and China Central Television, New Year wishes to Chinese people of all ethnic groups, to compatriots in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan, to overseas Chinese and to friends all over the world!

The year 2011 marked the beginning of the implementation of China's 12th Five-Year Plan. Pursuing the domestic agenda of advancing reform, boosting development and ensuring stability was not easy while the international situation remained complex and volatile. Despite this, the Chinese people came together with firm determination and pressed ahead with reform, opening up and the socialist modernization drive. China's economy maintained steady and fairly fast growth, and new progress was recorded in the endeavor to build a society of moderate prosperity in all respects. Meanwhile, China strengthened exchanges and cooperation with countries around the world and took an active part in international cooperation aimed at promoting world economic growth and financial stability, improving global economic governance and addressing the issues of international and regional hotspots. China has made new contributions to peace and the development of humanity.

In the coming year, we will continue to hold high the banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, follow Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents and fully implement the Scientific Outlook on Development. We will do our utmost to consolidate the sound momentum of the economic and social development. This requires continued efforts to strike a balance between maintaining steady and fast economic growth, adjusting the economic structure and managing inflation expectations, continued acceleration of the shift of the economic growth model and economic structural adjustment, and continued focus on ensuring and improving people's wellbeing. We will stick to the policies of "one country, two systems," "Hong Kong people administer Hong Kong," "Macao people administer Macao," and a high degree of autonomy. We will work together with compatriots in Hong Kong and Macao to ensure the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao. We will keep to the policy of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems," continue to promote peaceful development of cross-Straits ties, uphold the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation and advance the shared interests of people living on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.

Peace, development and cooperation represent the calls of the time and the common interest of people throughout the world. At present, the trend towards a multi-polar world and economic globalization is gathering momentum and interdependence between countries is deepening. On the other hand, the world's economic recovery is beset by a number of factors, growing instability and uncertainty, as well as recurrent problems in international and regional hotspots. World peace and development face both opportunities and challenges. China will continue to pursue the foreign policy goal of upholding world peace and promoting common development, follow an independent foreign policy of peace and remain committed to the path of peaceful development and a win-win strategy of opening up. We will develop friendly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation with countries across the world on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence and actively participate in international cooperation to address global issues.

I am confident that so long as people of all countries work together as one, we will be able to handle any difficulties and risks on our way ahead and make new strides towards the goal of building a harmonious world of durable peace and common prosperity.

Finally, from here in Beijing, I wish you all happiness, peace and good health in the New Year.


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