With the conclusion of Dingyou, Year of Rooster, we are ushering in a new year.
The past 2017 is of special significance to China. The 19th CPC National Congress successfully concluded, setting the direction for China's future. China would advance reform across the board and promote development through higher-standard opening-up, making more efforts to help build an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, security and common prosperity for all. China will advance the Belt and Road Initiative, increase access to its domestic market, including the services sector, enhance Intellectual Property Right protection and try out free trade ports. China, with a more open gesture, would uphold Win-win cooperation principle, which has long been the philosophy of life for Chinese people, in welcoming all other countries including Denmark to catch the "express train" of China's development.
2017 is the year of harvest for China-Denmark relations. Prime Minister Rasmussen paid a very successful official visit to China, where the two sides issued China-Denmark Joint Work Programme, furthering our practical cooperation on all fronts. His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik visited China, inaugurating the Sino-Danish Center for Education and Research, consolidating the friendship between our two peoples. The China-Denmark Tourism Year successfully concluded, and our cooperation on the protection and research on giant pandas is making positive progress, further enhancing cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations. The 26th Batch of Escort Task Group of Chinese PLA Navy visited Denmark, promoting military exchanges. Denmark, for the first time as guest of honor, attended the 2017 Pujiang Innovation Forum. COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Co, delivered the Maersk Installer, the world's leading subsea support vessel to Maersk Supply Service, expanding our scientific cooperation in cutting-edge arenas. In the first 10 months of 2017 bilateral trade recorded a year on year increase of 5.5%, reaching 9.66 billion USD. Alipay, one of the “Four Great New Inventions” in modern times, recently made its official debut in Denmark, expanding our business and trade platform.
Though separated by seas and mountains, China and Denmark enjoy deep friendship that dates back in history. On May 11th, 1950, Denmark leading the western countries in establishing diplomatic ties with the newly founded PRC, opening a new chapter in China-Denmark relations. Over the 68 years, our bilateral ties and political trust is ever-deepening and maturing. China and Denmark established Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2008, propelling exchanges and practical cooperation onto a fast track. The heads of states exchanged visits in 2012 and 2014 respectively, instilling momentum into the development of bilateral ties.
In the past 5 years, China and Denmark have witnessed ever-expanding practical and mutually-beneficial cooperation, testifying to the strategic nature of bilateral ties. With frequent high-level interactions, the two countries are further building on our mutual trust. For many years China has remained Denmark’s largest trading partner in Asia, as our bilateral trade volume increases by 3530 times than that in 1950, exceeding 10 billion USD in the past three consecutive years. Denmark remains the European country with the largest investment in China in per capita terms. Over 40 provinces and municipalities of the two countries have established direct links and engaged in fruitful cooperation.
Today, the complementary advantages between China and Denmark in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship, green economy, high-end manufacture, education and elderly care service, as well as anti-corruption are turning into great momentum expanding the scope of cooperation. The dimensions and depth of China-Denmark relations are constantly broadening， going beyond the bilateral context, joining forces in our joint efforts in designing and pursuing practical cooperation via the Belt and Road Initiative, through China-Nordic cooperation, as well as in the wider China-EU environment, enriching the contents of the China-Denmark Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
As the Chinese poem goes, “Someday, with my sail piercing the clouds, I will mount the wind, break the waves, and traverse the vast, rolling sea.” The new five-year period kicked off by the 19th Congress will soon begin. Firmly committed to an independent foreign policy of peace, fostering a new type of international relations and building a community with a shared future for mankind, the Chinese people are marching forward in pursuit of the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation.
China-Denmark Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is entering a new phase. We would like to join hands with Danish friends from all walks of life to seize the opportunity, constantly expanding common interests, enhancing consensus in policies and concepts, and strengthening complementary cooperation, so as to further push forward China-Denmark relations.
In one month, we would be entering Wuxu, the Year of Dog. On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Copenhagen, I would like to take this opportunity to convey my best wishes to our friends in Denmark. May you all good fortune and every success! May China-Denmark Comprehensive Strategic Partnership bear rich fruits in the new year!