Respected Prof. Yuan Ding, Vice President of CEIBS,
Respected Prof. Mathew Tsamenyi, Executive Director of CEIBS Africa,
Colleagues from the Diplomatic Corps,
Teachers and Students,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning and Happy New Year!
I am very delighted to attend the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) Graduation Ceremony for the 7th Executive Masters in Business Administration and Women Entrepreneurship and Leadership for Africa. Since its founding more than 20 years ago, CEIBS has become the No. 1 business school in Asia and top 10 in the world with a world-wide reputation. Please allow me, on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Ghana, to extend our warm congratulations to the graduates on your successful completion of studies. Through the study and practice in CEIBS, you have successfully enhanced leadership, broadened mind set and enlarged circle of friends. I am really happy for your new gains. I also want to share a little secret in my heart with you. That is I sincerely wish I were a member sitting among you, rather than standing and talking here.
The world today calls for strong leadership. Yesterday, the 47th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (Davos Forum) was successfully concluded in Davos. Known as "barometer of world economy", this Annual Meeting focuses on the theme of "Responsive and Responsible Leadership". Through setting this theme, the organizer called on world leaders to review the existing international system, improve and reconstruct it into a new one to be better adapted to the more complicated and pluralistic situation of today.
It has been 8 years since the outburst of global financial crisis, and the recovery of the world economy is still sluggish, global trade and investment are lackluster, commodities and financial markets have experienced volatility from time to time. Growth prospects of developed and emerging economies are diverging, and geopolitical risks and destabilizing factors are both on the rise. Moreover, waves of reverse globalization, populism, and trade protectionism keep rising. In 2016, a series of "Black Swan" events overthrew the mindsets, ideas and concepts we were accustomed to.
So what kind of leadership is required by the world today? Professor Klaus Schwab gave his answer as this: leaders need sensitivity and empathy to serve as general public's radar system, and values and vision as their compass. Without a radar system, leaders cannot be responsive; and without a compass, they cannot exercise leadership responsibly.
Every one has his own version of leadership. In my opinion, leadership is first and foremost the ability to have vision and insight. A leader should be the far range radar, under the complicated circumstances neither dazzled by some symptoms nor blinded by some clouds, but to see further in a high position and act as the general trend demands. A leader should keep abreast with times, always coming up with new development ideas and new growth patterns, not having himself physically living in the 21st century, but with a mindset belonging to the past. He should play a leading role in the construction of new system. In addition, a leader should boast the ability to make other people successful. Helping others, helping oneself. The fundamental issue of the world economy is unbalanced development. If still every country only pursues its own national interest in disregard of other countries' interest, it will not only lose the moral ground, but also make the world economy even more unbalanced and the international society further torn apart.
China is taking up the leadership responsibility of global economic governance and making fresh contribution to the world economy. At the G20 Hangzhou Summit, China chose "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy" as the theme, committed to building a fair, just and open global economic system, and came up with an integrated prescription to addresses both the symptoms and root causes of the global economic problems. At the 24th APEC Economic Leader's Meeting, China committed itself to strongly supporting the building-up of Asia-Pacific Free Trade Area (APFTA), unswervingly leading the process of economic globalization, upgrading the open economy of the Asia-Pacific region, cracking the regional bottleneck of connection and creating a pattern of reform and innovation. Three days ago, at the Davos Forum, H.E. Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out that we shall neither regard the globalization as the scapegoat nor build the wall of protectionism. The path of world economic development shows that openness brings progress and isolation leads to backwardness. We shall never repeat the beggar-thy-neighbor approach. China firmly supports the multilateral trading regime and reaffirms its commitment against protectionism. We hope all countries can strengthen the coordination of our macroeconomic policies and press forward structural reform to build an inclusive world economy to promote win-win interconnection and sustainable development.
"One action counts more than a dozen programs". In the complex domestic and international situation, China actively adapts itself to changes in the external environment and the new normal of China's economic development, outlines the five development concepts of innovation, coordination, green growth, opening up and sharing, deepens structural reforms especially the supply-side reform, and concentrates its efforts on cultivating new drivers of growth while upgrading traditional ones to expand effective supply and pursue a more balanced, inclusive and sustainable development. Last year, China's GDP grew by 6.7%, ranking among top of the world's major economies in terms of growth speed, and made positive progress in structural adjustment.
The Chinese people have always believed that the world is a commonwealth and had the aspiration of contributing to the global society, and call on the leaders of our times to take their unshirkable responsibility. In this regard China is obliged to play its role as a responsible country. A Chinese adage reads as follows, "Victory is ensured when people pool their strength; success is ensured when people put their heads together." By embarking on a development path that suits China's actual conditions, China follows a people-oriented development philosophy and upholds the strategy of reform and opening-up and has made outstanding achievements in national development. China welcomes people of other countries to take free ride of China's development and provide help to other countries within its capacity. Just as President Xi says, though the road to national prosperity is not easy, Chinese people always work very hard with perseverance and never stop moving forward. Despite its modest level of development and living standard, China has provided more than 400 billion yuan of foreign assistance, undertaken over 5,000 foreign assistance projects and trained over 260,000 personnel from other developing countries. This is because China believes that as long as the global community makes joint efforts to tackle challenges, strengthen confidence, foster a stable international environment and find solutions to address root causes of the problems we face, we can tame the economic crisis and reactivate economic recovery. As long as we keep to the goal of building a community of shared future for mankind and leaders show they are "responsive and responsible", we will be able to create a better world and deliver better lives for our peoples.
For a long time, African countries are facing some common bottleneck issues such as inadequate infrastructure, lack of professional and skilled personnel and funding shortage, and shoulder the heavy task of developing economy and improving people's livelihood. President Xi Jinping pointed out that, "The achievement of inclusive and sustainable development in Africa hinges on industrialization. It is China's sincere hope to share its experience with African countries, and we are willing to provide capital, technology and personnel in support of African industrialization." China has attached great importance to building China-Africa comprehensive strategic and cooperative partnership, constantly strengthened "Five Major Pillars" of China-Africa cooperation, focused on implementation of the "Ten Major Cooperation Plan" by pledging 60 billion US dollars' funding support to Africa. In conducting China's relations with Africa, the Chinese side adheres to the principles of sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith and upholds the values of friendship, justice and shared interests as well as the five cooperative concepts of "common, intensive, green, safe and open" development, and works with the African side to embrace a new era of win-win cooperation and common development.
Dear graduates, you are business elites from Ghana and other African countries as well as China and the backbone to realize national modernization and economic transition of our countries. I wish everyone shall actively promote China-Ghana and China-Africa pragmatic cooperation in all fronts by innovative ideas and methods of cooperation, and improve quality and efficiency of cooperation to make positive contribution to the development of China-Ghana and China-Africa relations.
Next week is the Chinese Spring Festival, the year of rooster. I sincerely wish you all more successful business, larger circle of friends and better life in the coming new year.
Thank you!