It is a tradition of Chinese leadership to address the public on all critical occasions. President Xi Jinping addressed the nation on the eve 2020. He expressed satisfaction regarding the achievements made during 2019, mentioning that China worked hard and pressed ahead with many concrete efforts. Thanks to the steady pursuit of high-quality development, China's GDP is expected to edge close to as high as 100 trillion yuan with the per capita figure reaching the level of 10,000 U.S. dollars.

Although China faced several challenges, especially geopolitical challenges, and domestic issues, economic growth and prosperity were still witnessed during the year 2019. It all is due to the hard work of common people and the collective efforts of the masses. The government has provided the enabling policies and environments, while it was the hard work of the people of China to achieve economic growth in spite of the global recession.

One of the most impressive aspects of his speech was his love for people. He always places the most importance on the welfare of people. He proudly highlighted some of the achievements in 2019: about 340 impoverished counties and more than 10 million people were lifted out of poverty. The lunar probe Chang' e-4, for the first time in human history, landed on the far side of the moon; the Long March-5 Y3 rocket was successfully launched; the Xuelong 2 icebreaker set sail on its maiden voyage to the Antarctic; the construction of the global Beidou Navigation Satellite System network is sprinting towards completion; the commercial application of 5G technology is accelerating; the Beijing Daxing International Airport opened like a phoenix spread its wings… all these achievements are the result of the efforts and sweat of those who are striving in this new era, and they demonstrate extraordinary Chinese splendor and Chinese strength. Moreover, he mentioned that as usual, no matter how busy he was, he always spared time to make visits to people living in the countryside.

People shared many of their innermost thoughts with him, and he always keeps them in mind. Further elaborating on the essential achievements of 2019, he cited that the most memorable moment of 2019 were celebrations pertaining to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. We cheered for the glorious achievements China has made over the past 70 years and were overwhelmed by the sheer force of patriotism. The formations during the military parade were mighty, and the mass pageant found to be thrilling. Tiananmen Square was turned into a sea of happiness.

Based on the achievements of 2019, he is right to be optimistic for 2020, believing it will be a year of milestone significance. China will finish building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and realize the first centenary goal. 2020 will also be a year of a decisive victory for the elimination of extreme poverty.

He praised the development of Macao under "One Country, Two Systems" and expressed his satisfaction over the achievements of Macao. He expressed his feelings regarding the situation in Hong Kong and said, "I sincerely wish Hong Kong well and our Hong Kong compatriots well. Hong Kong's prosperity and stability is the wish of Hong Kong compatriots and the expectation of the people of our motherland".

He conveyed a strong message to the whole world "China is determined to walk along the road of peaceful development and will resolutely safeguard world peace and promote common development. We are willing to join hands with people of all countries in the world to together realize the Belt and Road Initiative, and push forward the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and make unremitting efforts for the creation of a beautiful future for all". At the end of his speech, he once again wished everyone "A Happy New Year."

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Zamir Ahmed Awan is a senior fellow with the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and a sinologist at the National University of Sciences and Technology in Pakistan. E-mail: [email protected]