Good morning! Distinguished guests,
ladies and gentlemen,
I feel glad to be invited by Hangzhou
Regional Center (Asia-pacific) for Small Hydro Power (HRC)
for attending the opening ceremony of 2006 Seminars on
"Water Resources Planning and Management" and
"Power System Planning and Analysis" for Cambodia.
On behalf of the Office of Foreign Affairs of Zhejiang
Provincial People's Government, I would like to congratulate
HRC for holding these 2 seminars, and meanwhile, I would
also extend my warmly welcome to all the friends from
the water sector and the power sector of Cambodia.
Zhejiang has a long history of interacting
with foreign countries. During the prosperous Tang dynasty
of over 1200 years ago, products from Zhejiang such as
silk, porcelain and tea made their way to Middle Asia
and Europe by merchant ships and through the famous Silk
Road. During the 13th century, the great Italian traveler,
Marco Polo, came to Hangzhou and was deeply attracted
to its profound culture and beautiful scenery, so he acclaimed
Hangzhou as "the finest and most magnificent city
in the world". From then on, Hangzhou has been renowned
as "the paradise on earth".
Recently, more and more countries and
international organizations are cooperating with our province.
So far, the province, together with cities under its direct
jurisdiction, has established friendly relations with
168 provinces, cities and counties in 40 countries such
as Japan, the U.S., Germany, France, U.K., Brazil, South
Africa and so on. Moreover, the province has established
widespread exchange and cooperation with more than 220
countries and regions in the fields of economy, trade,
science and technology, culture etc., framing an extensive
and far¨Creaching worldwide cooperative network.
China and Cambodia cherish a long-term
traditional friendship, and recently the visit exchanges
between two governments further enhanced this friendship
of two peoples. We believe, these seminars held here,
can also promote the mutual exchanges between the related
Cambodian departments, local governments, and Zhejiang
province.
Finally, with this opportunity, I sincerely
wish that the traditional friendship between our two governments
and peoples can be further deepened, and also expect a
long-term and extensive cooperation to be set up between
our province and your provinces, and between Chinese concerned
departments and your related sectors. Wish a full success
to the two seminars in advance, and also wish all the
Cambodian friends have a nice stay in Zhejiang. Thanks.
