Part 1
Good evening.
Thank you, Professor Lin. It's great to be here today. Beida has an incredible history and I'm sure next year, as you celebrate your 120th-year anniversary, you'll get to look back on the incredible contributions that you have made to this country.
I've been coming to China since the early 1990s, initially as part of my work at Microsoft. It was ten years ago that I was privileged to be named an honorary trustee here at Beida. I remember what a great time I had in 2008 when I was here watching the Olympic table tennis semi-finals between China and South Korea.
As I'm sure you remember, China took the gold medal in every category – men's singles, women's singles, men's and women's team's event. That was on top of two silvers and two bronze medals. For someone who's a big table tennis fan, that was pretty incredible to witness.
And that highlights in one way, what incredible potential China has. China is on a quest for excellence, a quest not only to improve itself but to contribute to the whole world.
As China's economy is maturing, it's making bold and difficult decisions on things like energy and pollution. And it's assuming a greater role in critical issues like climate and development. And this matters now more than ever as the world is navigating a time of change and uncertainty.
In some rich countries, there is skepticism about globalization. The results of the U. S. presidential election and the Brexit vote in the UK, both seem to underscore a rise of turning inward on issues like migration, security, and perhaps even global development.
It's great to see China stepping up to engage even more with other countries. It is greatly equipped to do so. No other country has accomplished what China has achieved in the last few decades – breaking the relentless cycle of poverty and disease for hundreds of millions of people while modernizing its economy at a scale and speed unprecedented in human history.
Although no one is expecting China to fill a gap in development aid from wealthy countries, it has made a very smart commitment to triple its commitment to African development. China has long understood that helping other countries lift themselves out of poverty creates a stable and secure world for people everywhere.
And by encouraging investment through innovative financing mechanisms like the China-Africa Development Fund, China is strengthening not only Africa's economic capacity, but also, over time, the markets for Chinese goods.