Commemorating 40 years of China’s reform and opening-up and China-Cyprus relations
The Chinese in their wisdom said that “even the longest journey in the world starts always with a first step”. That important step was taken 40 years ago by a leader of vision, Deng Xiao Ping who chose the path of reform and openingup. President Xi Jinping, on 13 November, called for efforts to boost the Chinese people’s confidence and determination to follow the Party along the path of reform and opening-up.
There is no better way to commemorate this anniversary than to refer to some of the major steps taken to deepen reform, expand opening-up and advance innovation, with the aim of promoting both China’s own development and global growth.
Facing a weak global economy and downward pressure on its economy, China has made vigorous efforts to nurture new growth drivers. Instead of resorting to massive stimulus, it followed the course of reform and innovation, guided by the new development philosophy. Vigorous efforts have also been made to streamline administration and cut taxes and fees, thus unlocking market vitality. In the past five years, the number of market entities has surges in China by nearly 80% to more than 100 million, and around 70% of new market entities are in active operation, giving a strong boost to employment. As we all know, employment generates income, which produces new consumption and investment, thus fostering a healthy cycle of economic development.
On the question of regulation, China has adopted a prudent, yet accommodative approach, thus contributing to a boom in emerging industries, as long as new forms of business and new models do not go against laws or regulations, cross the line of security or damage public interests. China, as stated, will take an accommodative attitude toward innovations, by leaving sufficient space for their development.
To inspire immense social creativity, China has encouraged mass entrepreneurship and innovation. China has a workforce of nearly 900 million, among which 170 million have received higher education or training in professional skills. Moreover, the government has sought to encourage the primary role of companies in innovation and adopted policy incentives to that effect.
Last, but not least, today’s China boasts a more solid material and technological foundation, a fairly complete industrial system and broad space for urban-rural and regional development. It also enjoys huge new market demand, generated by the upgrading of consumption and economic restructuring, abundant and increasingly competent human resources, vibrant entrepreneurship and innovation activities across the society, and a reserve of innovative measures and policy tools for macro regulation. The confidence, therefore, ability and means to cope with the current difficulties and challenges are there. As the premier of the State Council of China, Li Keqiang put it, “the express train of China’s economy will not lose speed, but stay on a steady course.”
Within the framework of reform and opening-up, mention should also be made of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed five years ago by President Xi in the belief that “China will do well only when the world does well, and vice versa”. This action was taken in the hope that China’s economic growth would become sustainable by forging synergies and interacting virtuously with other countries’ development strategies.
Cyprus, despite its size and population, is of the utmost importance for China, because of its pivotal location that connects Asia, Europe and Africa, thus making it a strategic partner in the building of the Belt and Road Initiative. In this respect, in order to deepen the Cyprus-China cooperation, the Chinese Ambassador, Huang Xingyuan made the following proposals: First, to develop synergies between BRI and the respective development strategies of our two countries. Second, to develop synergies between BRI and bilateral economic and trade cooperations. Third, to develop synergies between BRI and the people-to-people ties between our two countries. Fourth, to forge synergies between BRI and regional cooperation in the eastern Mediterranean.
These remarks and suggestions easily introduce the subject of the relations between China and Cyprus, which were formally established on 14 December 1971, when the agreement establishing diplomatic relations was signed.
Big China and small Cyprus enjoy a special relationship. Their bilateral relations are excellent as they are based on mutual respect and close cooperation between the two governments on a variety of issues. The government of Cyprus firmly supports the principle of “One China” and the government of China has a principled stand on the Cyprus question. Beijing firmly supports the independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty and unity of Cyprus and favours a just and viable solution based on the UN resolutions. Cyprus on its part, as a member of the European Union is China’s defender on issues of capital importance to China. Needless to mention, that on many international issues China and Cyprus see eye to eye.
The commercial relationships enjoy a high level of activity and the excellent bilateral relations are also confirmed by the exchange of high level visits between China and Cyprus. All Cypriot Presidents have visited China and high level Chinese officials, including Foreign Ministers have visited Nicosia. As a result, these reciprocal visits have contributed to the further strengthening of the friendship between the two countries.
Concluding, we observe that it is mainly mutual understanding that has nourished the friendly relations of China and Cyprus. The most encouraging results obtained so far constitute a guarantee of their further expansion in all fields, which will certainly benefit the peoples of China and Cyprus in the years to come.