Hangzhou International Exchange Conference

H.E. Mr. Yuan Jiajun, Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee,

H.E. Mr. Wang Hao, Acting Governor of Zhejiang Province,

Mr. Chen Yijun, Secretary-General of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee,

Mr. Xu Wenguang, Vice Governor of Zhejiang,

Mr. Liu Xin, Mayor of Hangzhou,

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends of the United Nations,

I would like to thank Hangzhou Municipal government and CCG for inviting me to speak at this important conference about human resources exchange and cooperation.

2021 is a landmark in China’s history as it marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of China’s lawful seat in the United Nations. As the UN Resident Coordinator in China, I am very pleased to see China’s miraculous success in economic development and poverty alleviation, as well as China’s increasing role in world development through the Belt and Road Initiative and South-South cooperation.

This said, it is a fact that we are currently at a decisive point in human history: while the COVID- 19 pandemic is still ravaging the world, time is running out for us to prevent the catastrophic effect of climate change. As the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned at the COP26 in Glasgow last week, we have to stop "digging our own graves" and use "maximum ambition" to ignite change and step up.

In this "Decade of Action" to achieve the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, the UN in China is ready to march in lockstep with the Government of China to advance its domestic development priorities through the 14th Five Year Plan and also facilitate China's pivotal role in addressing global challenges and promote global peace and development.

Today, we gather to renew our commitment to foster international talent exchanges, to celebrate the importance of empowering young people to promote sustainable development through innovation, cooperation, and entrepreneurship.

Human capital exchanges and development are key to the implementation of SDGs. Not only does SDG 1 and 4 explicitly mention the goal of promoting quality education, but human capital is also an essential foundation for the overall achievement and implementation of SDGs.

China’s development trajectory is a testimony of the power of human capital. For the last four decades, the development strategy that puts science and education at the frontline has brought tremendous benefits. 200 million people have been lifted out of illiteracy and tens of thousands of Chinese students go to study abroad outside China every year. As a result, China now has a large intellectual pool and knowledgeable labor force that contributes to China’s economic rise and will help achieve a more sustainable future.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are in an era of change, an era filled with great challenges, and an era in which we owe today’s youth the opportunity to apply their knowledge and exert their talents to address these challenges.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis also emphasize the importance to connect, convene and catalyze opportunities for young people around the world to work together through exchanges to forge innovative solutions to development challenges.

President Xi Jinping said "that by setting sail together, we can ride the wind, break the waves, and brave the journey of ten thousand miles. We may at times encounter stormy waves and dangerous rapids, but as long as we pool our efforts and keep to the right direction, the giant vessel of human development will stay on an even keel and sail toward a brighter future.

I wish you successful deliberations.

Thank you!

The UN Resident Coordinator also delivered a video message for a panel at this conference. 

Distinguished panellists, ladies and gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to join you again in the afternoon, on behalf of the UN Country Team in China. We come here today against the backdrop of the continued global disruption wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent health and economic shocks created by this once-in-a-century crisis.

As the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres put it in Our Common Agenda – "International cooperation is more needed than ever but also harder to achieve; and now is the time to take the next steps in our journey together, in solidarity with and for all people."

The United Nations in China enjoys long-standing partnership with Hangzhou municipality.

In the last two decades, we have witnessed close collaboration between Hangzhou and UN agencies including UNDP, UNICEF, UNIDO and ILO.

In May this year, I joined the United Nations Under Secretary-General Liu Zhenmin and visited the Nations Global Geospatial Knowledge and Innovation Centre in Deqing.

The establishment of this Center, announced by President Xi at the General Debate of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly, aims to "to facilitate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."

I was impressed by the enormous achievements in economic transformation and rural revitalization.

All the above collaboration would not have been possible had Hangzhou not thrown open its arms to international exchange and cooperation, especially on talents at the beginning of the reform and opening up.

Investing in human capital played a great role in Hangzhou’s success and remains a key ingredient to a winning formula for development.

Let me share my personal experiences related to this topic. The major part of my 25-year career relates to Africa, and it is in Africa where I witnessed the massive potential unleased by international human resources exchange and cooperation.

Thanks to digital technologies and innovation, Africa will be able to leapfrog to the 4th Industrial Revolution and unlock its huge demographic potential and become the future of the world’s market.

The healthcare business potential in Africa is $400 billion, food and agriculture in Africa will rise to $1 trillion by 2030, and a $700 billion market for affordable houses.

However, this will not happen without robust international cooperation, especially on the talents, the foundation for any new technology or innovation.

Zhejiang taking the lead in building a demonstration zone as an example for promoting common prosperity nationwide gives a strong impetus to China’s new development aspirations towards high-quality development, that aims for green, inclusive and sustainable development, with a view to leaving no one behind.

The UN in China stands ready to play its role to convene, connect and catalyze, and assist China’s, including Hangzhou’s development ambitions as we move forward.

Hangzhou’s experience, as it develops, can be shared with other countries as we deliver on the 2030 Agenda, which is a plan of action for people, planet, prosperity and peace, for everyone and everywhere.

Today’s event serves as a timely reminder, that when we begin to re-open borders around the world, we embark on a new path towards more inclusive globalization.

We need to ensure that we promote the free flow and exchange of talents that brings benefits to nations, talents which will allow us to better prepare for future crises and rebuild our world and secure a better, more sustainable future for our people and our planet, with strengthened solidarity with both younger and succeeding generations.

I thank you for your kind attention.