Xi Jinping: Speech at the 2020 Spring Festival Group Meeting

On January 23, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council held the 2020 Spring Festival group meeting in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech.

Comrades and friends:

As the Spring Festival of the Year of the Rat in the lunar calendar is approaching, we are very happy to gather here to bid farewell to the New Year and welcome the New Year.

First of all, on behalf of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, I would like to extend my best wishes for the holiday! Happy New Year to the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country, to compatriots in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region, Taiwan and overseas Chinese! I wish you all good luck in the Year of the Rat!

Heaven rewards hard work, but hard work does not deceive. In the past year, we have made great strides along the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. We adhere to the general tone of the work of seeking progress while maintaining stability, deepen reform and opening up, focus on promoting high-quality development, maintain economic operations within a reasonable range, make key progress in the three major battles, report frequent scientific and technological innovation, achieve remarkable results in poverty alleviation, and accelerate the development of people's livelihood. The reform of national defense and the military has been steadily advanced, all-round diplomatic results have been fruitful, and new major progress has been made in building a well. We convened the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee to make comprehensive arrangements for upholding and developing the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. We solemnly celebrate the 20th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland and resolutely safeguard the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao.

In particular, we solemnly celebrated the 70th anniversary of the founding of the the People's Republic of China of the people's Republic of China, held magnificent and warm celebrations and grand military parades, and 1.4 billion flag bearers sang the high-spirited melody of praising the new China and striving for a new era, which greatly inspired the national spirit and inspired the majestic strength of unity and progress.

We have carried out education on the theme of "never forget the original ideal and ambition and bear in mind the mission" throughout the party, unswervingly push forward the party's self-revolution, and urge more than 9000 million Communist Party members to always bear in mind that the people are the creators of history and the people are the source of our strength. We should always take the hearts of the people as our hearts, and always share the same breath, common destiny and heart to heart with the people.

Comrades, friends!

In Chinese culture, the rat is the first of the twelve zodiac signs. Entering the Year of the Rat represents the beginning of a new round of the zodiac year, and it also implies a new beginning.

Struggle to create history, hard work to achieve the future. In the new year, we will win a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, fight a decisive battle against poverty, and achieve the first centenary goal. For thousands of years, the Chinese nation's vision of "the people also work hard and can be well-off" will become a reality. This is a milestone in the historical process of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Under the guidance of the thought of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, we should fully implement the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress and the second, third and fourth Plenary sessions of the 19th CPC Central Committee, closely follow the goal and task of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, comprehensively promote the "five-in-one" overall layout, coordinate and promote the "four comprehensive" strategic layout, comprehensively implement the new development concept, and do a good job in stabilizing growth, we will win the battle against poverty with high quality, and ensure that the building of a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way is successfully concluded, recognized by the people and can stand the test of history.

Comrades, friends!

I said in this year's New Year's message, seize every minute, live up to youth. This must first be understood from the perspective of the great history of the Chinese nation. The Chinese nation has a history of more than 5000 years of civilization and has made indelible contributions to the progress of human civilization in the course of thousands of years. However, after modern times, the Chinese nation has been delayed by various internal and external troubles for too long. Therefore, the Chinese people have always had an extraordinary sense of urgency and a sense of the times. Looking back at history, after the Opium War, the Chinese nation achieved national independence and people's liberation in 110 years, ushered in a great leap from standing up, getting rich to becoming strong in 70 years, and achieved a great leap in comprehensive national strength, people's living standards and international influence in more than 40 years.

From now to the middle of this century, we have also made strategic plans to build a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, basically realize socialist modernization, and finally build a prosperous, democratic, civilized, harmonious and beautiful modern socialist country. This will be a great era for the Chinese people and the Chinese nation to forge ahead into a new era and write a new glorious chapter of Chinese civilization! Every member of the Chinese people, every member of the Chinese nation, should be proud of being in such a great era! We must adhere to the strategic direction, maintain strategic determination, continue to unite as one, work hard, and move forward rain or shine!

Time waits for no man! History waits for no man! Time belongs to the endeavor! History belongs to those who strive! In order to realize the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we must race against time and advance with history. Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China, the whole party, the whole army and the people of all ethnic groups in the country must not forget their original aspirations, keep their mission in mind, face challenges, and continue to advance towards the glorious goal of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with a progressive attitude that does not wait for time. We will continue to advance towards the bright prospect of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and continue to create the great historical time of the Chinese nation in the great history of mankind!

Reprinted from: Xinhua News Agency