Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

My Wife and I welcome you all to the Chinese Embassy. I arrived in Copenhagen on the last day of May as the Chinese Ambassador to the beautiful Kingdom of Denmark. I had the great honour to present my credentials to HM the Queen and became a fully functional ambassador on my first working day.

I know there are two other new arrivals from China in this town, Mao'er and Xing'er, the pandas. To make their names easier for you, I would like to translate them into Fluffy No.2 and Starry No.2. Though I am eager to meet my cuddly folks in their new home, I am still hesitating because I am told I need to queue up for almost an hour for a glimpse of them. They are spoiled by the Danish people and have become a symbol of the friendship and co-operation between our two countries.

The China-Denmark relationship is in very good shape, which, in my opinion, can be characterized by three "S": Stable, Strong and Sustainable.

Stable. The China-Denmark relations have enjoyed stable development for nearly seven decades. Although we may not see eye to eye on all issues, the stability of our relations has never been compromised. In the world of today, predictability is important to a stable relationship. With that, I believe China-Denmark relations will continue to develop steadily.

Strong. The China-Denmark relations are strong. Denmark is the only Comprehensive Strategic Partner of China in Northern Europe. President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders warmly received HM the Queen and Mr Rasmussen on their visits to China. The bilateral relations flourished. Trade between China and Denmark has hit 12 billion US dollars in 2018. Over 500 Danish companies are operating in China, and more and more Chinese companies are interested in doing business in Denmark. Four airlines have opened direct flights and an increasing number of people travel between China and Denmark each day.

Sustainable. The China-Denmark relations are sustainable. We hold similar views on multilateralism, free trade, climate change and many other issues. Trade and economic cooperation is expanding. We are building on our achievements with our eyes on new areas of cooperation, such as green technology, renewable energy and smart city. Great potentials will ensure that our relationship is bound to develop further.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. In these seven decades, the 40 years of reform and opening up, especially the past six years, we have created a miracle in national development. Over the years, China's economic cooperation with other countries played an indispensable role, but more importantly, it is the Chinese people's own hard work that brought about China's impressive advancement.

China, like any other country, does have its development plans. Our aim is to make our country more prosperous, give our people a better life and work for a harmonious world. What we advocate is a new type of international relations and a community of shared future for mankind. What we uphold is the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. What we pursue is open, green and clean cooperation. We have no intention to seek domination or export our development model. A prosperous and open China is a plus for our bilateral relations, for Europe and the world.

Ladies and gentlemen,

There is a Danish saying, "Every man is the blacksmith of his own happiness." The future of China-Denmark relations depends on our own efforts. I just learned Denmark has got a new government. I am ready to work with my Danish colleagues and friends to make our relations even better. And I am also looking forward to making friends with the diplomatic envoys and those from the Chinese Community.

Thank you!