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Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, on Friday talked to his citizens as the country marked yet another annual milestone. His speech was targeted to Chinese people of all ethnic groups, those in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region, Taiwan, and those living abroad.

In the just ended Year of the Tiger, which is about to pass, is a very important year in the development history of the Party and the country. Amid the complex and unpredictable international situation and arduous domestic tasks of continuing reform and development and maintaining stability, the Chinese people rose to the challenge and worked together as the country strives to write a new chapter in the development of socialist modernisation.

China held the 20th CPC National Congress successfully and drew up a grand blueprint for comprehensively building a modern socialist country. In 2022, China fully implemented the new development philosophy, and adhered to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability. The country also fully implemented the requirements for keeping the epidemic at bay, stabilising the economy and ensuring safe development. Its people also accelerated the efforts to foster a new development pattern and pursue high-quality development.

China has maintained economic growth, achieved a bumper harvest of grain, kept employment and prices stable, and firmly ensured people’s well-being. The Chinese government has also consolidated gains in poverty elimination, and made constant achievements in sci-tech innovation. It has also kept improving the ecological environment, taken solid steps to modernise the national defense and the armed forces, made further efforts to exercise full and rigorous governance over the Party, and maintained overall social stability.

China has kept optimising the epidemic prevention and control measures according to the mutation of the virus so as to protect people’s lives and health, and minimise the impact of the epidemic on economic and social development. Now, epidemic prevention and control still requires much efforts, but now there is hope that COVID-19 can finally be vanquished through unity and perseverance.  

China successfully hosted the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, respectively. It presented a streamlined, safe and splendid Games to the world, making Beijing the first city in the world to hold both Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

China marked the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland. This has been achieved by fighting resolutely in major struggles against separatism and foreign interference, and maintaining the initiative to steer cross-Strait relations. Further, the country has vigorously advanced major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, and made many friends, providing the volatile global environment with stability.

The achievements of 2022 were hard won, and were made by the Party and the people. What was achieved has shown that as long as the Party and the people stand together, think together and work together, no storm can shake our iron will, and no difficulty can stop the people’s sonorous steps.

The year 2023 is the first to fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, with both hopes and challenges. President Xi promised to keep stability the top priority, and seek progress while maintaining stability. China will put more effort to balance both domestic and international situations, coordinate epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development, and development with security.

The country will comprehensively deepen reform and opening up, strive to achieve an overall upturn in economic performance, and continue to improve people’s lives. As long as the people work hard with firm confidence, they will get off to a good start on our new journey.

The greatest truths are the simplest, and hard work is the key. The new journey is a long one full of glories and dreams where there is no shortcut, but hard work. Xi asked his citizens to humble themselves, work hard, and not fall into fantasies or distractions.

“We should be honest and studious, respect the reality, do not act against rules or work recklessly. We should seek truth and be pragmatic, focus on the actual effect, and do not make superficial work or show. We created a glorious past with hard work, and we will create a better future in the same way,” Xi said.

In traditional Chinese culture, rabbit (tu) is called Ruitu (auspicious rabbit) or Yutu (jade rabbit), representing quickness and wit, purity and kindness, peace and beauty. The auspicious rabbit bodes well for China, which is increasingly peaceful, and full of vigour and vitality. In the lunar year of the Rabbit, Xi hoped that the people of the whole country, especially the youth, will sprint and run at full speed like a moving rabbit to exhibit their ability and elegance in whatever work they do.