Speech by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Inauguration Ceremony of the Global Development Promotion Center

Excellencies,

Friends,

It is my great pleasure to attend today's event. My warm congratulations on the inauguration of the Global Development Promotion Center.

At the High-level Dialogue on Global Development this June, President Xi Jinping announced China's plan to set up a global development promotion center. In a short span of less than five months, with much hard work and preparation, the Center is officially inaugurated today. This marks a new step forward in our implementation of the Global Development Initiative (GDI), and a new measure in the endeavor to deepen global development cooperation.

Friends,

Since President Xi Jinping proposed the GDI, China has worked actively to bring together the international community, and has taken concrete actions to deliver on the 32 major follow-ups. Important early harvests have been achieved.

First, expanding pool of global development projects. New projects have been added to the pool based on the needs of countries, and the total number has exceeded 100. Second, increasing platforms for cooperation. We have established the Group of Friends in the United Nations, launched the Global Development Promotion Center Network and the Digital Publicity Platform in Beijing, and opened the Innovation Training Base in Xiamen. Preparations are being made for the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development. Third, diversifying participation. To date, over 100 countries as well as many international organizations, including the United Nations, have expressed their support. Nearly 70 countries have joined the Group of Friends. This has created an encouraging momentum of broad participation across countries, agencies and sectors. Fourth,  robust interactions among parties. Recently,China and relevant countries have hosted a variety of events, including a number of dialogues on regional development cooperation, a food security forum, a youth dialogue, as well as "national days" and biodiversity-featuring events for the Group of Friends countries. All this has built up consensus and injected vitality into the implementation of the GDI.

Friends,

The Global Development Promotion Center is an important platform for China to implement the GDI. It also carries the common expectation of the international community for enhanced development cooperation.

We hope the Center will stay true to its original mission for development. It is important to further build and expand the project pool for global development, strengthen the supervision and evaluation оf development projects, bring development agenda back to the center of international cooperation, and facilitate the joint efforts of countries to speed up revitalization.

We hope the Center will advocate openness and cooperation. It is important to enhance communication and coordination with the UN development system, ensure the success of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development, expand the Global Development Promotion Center network, and jointly forge united, equal, balanced and inclusive global development partnership.

We hope the Center will commit to a results-oriented approach. It is important to actively promote global development financing, and build a sound Innovation Training Base and a Digital Publicity Platform with broader impacts, so as to truly help parties match development needs and seek project-based cooperation.

Friends,

Chinese modernization offers humanity a new choice for achieving modernization. China's own development has also created new opportunities for the world. China will stay committed to the spirit of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests. It will scale up input in international development cooperation, further enhance the Center and make the most of it , and work for sustained progress of the GDI, so as to provide new impetus to and make further contribution to the realization of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as scheduled.

Thank you.