H.E. Luigi Einaudi, Acting General Secretary of the OAS,
H.E. Borea, President of the Political and Juridical Committee of the OAS,
Your Excellencies,
Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon！
Today is the Chinese Traditional Lantern Festival, which symbolizes happiness and brightness. This happy coincidence promises a bright future for the friendly cooperative relationship between China and the OAS.
H.E. Einaudi and I have just signed, the Agreement for the China-OAS Cooperation Fund, on behalf of the Organization of American States and the Government of the People’s Republic of China respectively. With the establishment of this Cooperation Fund, the Chinese Government is willing to contribute its humble efforts in promoting economic and social development of the American states, and friendly exchanges and cooperation between China and the American states.
Through consultation by both parties, the first package of projects financed by the Fund, with a total amount of 140,000 USD, goes into effect today. The projects include: the Lecture Series of the Americas, the training programs of the Inter-American Commission of Women, the videogame project of the Inter-American Children’s Institute, the Inter-American Conference on counter illegal traffic of arms, repair of Museum of Art of the Americas and publication of the magazine the Americas. In addition, the Chinese government has decided to provide 4 scholarships each year for the American states through the OAS outside the fund. We sincerely hope more friends from the west hemisphere will have opportunities to go to China and learn more about China. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the General Secretariat and all the officials involved for your hard effort in identifying these projects.
Ladies and gentlemen! The Chinese Government attaches great importance to the OAS as the most important organization of the region, and sincerely wishes to develop mutual beneficial and cooperative relations with it. Last May, the member states of the OAS admitted China as the 60th Permanent Observer of this important organization by consensus. And this has opened a new page of cooperation between China and the OAS and the American states. We are willing to continue to make our efforts in promoting the exchanges and cooperation in the political, economic, social and cultural fields between China and the American states through this platform, so as to benefit our peoples, and make contribution to the peace, stability and prosperity of the Americas and the world. I’m convinced that with our joint effort, the China-OAS relations will get even closer and our cooperation will yield greater results.
Thank you!