Dear Friends,

        Good evening.

        When I was a kid, there was a popular musical film in China about the legendary Guangxi folk singer Liu Sanjie, or Third Sister Liu. The beautiful folk songs and fascinating Guangxi landscapes in the film left a deep impression on me. Years later, I had the opportunity to visit Guilin, one of China's most popular tourist destinations located in Guangxi, where I was simply captivated by what was described in a famous poem as "boating along scenery that only existed in paintings". And today, being here brings back those wonderful memories. So let me take this opportunity to share with you my understanding of the beauty of Guangxi.

        The beauty of Guangxi lies in its nature, its people and its culture. Guangxi is known for its geological diversity with mountains in its north and ocean to its south and pastoral fields, forests, waterfalls and beaches in between. Guangxi is an autonomous region with the largest population of minority ethnic groups in China. They vary from each other in cultural traditions and customs such as songs, dances, handicrafts, architectural techniques and local cuisines, which showcase the rich cultural heritage Guangxi possesses.

        The beauty of Guangxi lies in its development achievement. The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was established over 60 years ago. Over the past six decades, its GDP has grown by several hundredfold. Poverty has been significantly reduced and people's life quality has been hugely improved. Just last month, Shanglin County of Guangxi was awarded World Longevity Area by the International Institute on Ageing of the United Nations in Malta. On another note, Guangxi has topped the country for many years in terms of sugarcane and silkworm cocoon production. It is also an important production base for cars and aluminum products. All these are the remarkable economic and social progress Guangxi has achieved.

        The beauty of Guangxi lies also in its importance as a transportation hub. The total mileage of high speed railway in Guangxi ranks among the top in China. And its expressways network connects it with neighboring provinces and even ASEAN countries. Thanks to its geographic advantage, as early as 2,000 years ago, Guangxi was already serving as one of China's oldest ports and places where the ancient maritime Silk Road originated. Today, Guangxi remains one of the important starting points and an indispensable part of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, and will become an important gateway linking the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

        Dear friends,

        This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Over the past 70 years, under the leadership of the Communist Party, the Chinese people have forged ahead, fearless and determined, and found a path of development suited to its own conditions. This is the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Huge changes have taken place all over the country, including Guangxi. I hope and believe that , after this exhibition, our Maltese friends will get to know and fall in love with Guangxi, and will choose Guangxi as their next destination for holidays. I look forward to seeing closer exchanges and cooperation between Malta and Guangxi, which constitutes an important part of our Belt and Road cooperation and common development.

        In conclusion, I wish this exhibition a great success.

        Thank you.