各位领导、各位来宾，女士们、先生们：
　　金秋十月，我们与来自国际友好城市的各界朋友欢聚一堂,回顾友好往来的历史，展望未来的光明前景，感到十分高兴。首先，我谨代表武汉市人民政府和830万人民，向来自11个国际友好城市的嘉宾及国内外朋友们,表示热烈的欢迎和衷心的感谢!
　　回顾过去，我们深感加强友好城市间的交流与合作在我们的改革开放和加快发展中，具有十分重要的作用。从1979年我市与日本大分市结为第一对友城起，迄今已与美国匹兹堡、德国杜伊斯堡、英国曼彻斯特、罗马尼亚加拉茨、乌克兰基辅、苏丹喀土穆、匈牙利杰尔、法国波尔多、荷兰阿纳姆、韩国清州等11个城市建立了友好城市关系，并在经济、贸易、科技、教育、文化、体育、卫生及人员培训等方面开展了卓有成效的交流与合作，法国还在武汉设立了总领事馆。友城之间的交流与合作，为武汉人民了解世界、结交世界各国友好人士提供了极好机会，为武汉学习和借鉴国际先进城市管理经验开辟了良好渠道，也为武汉走向世界、让世界了解武汉提供了广阔的舞台。
　　友好城市发展论坛，是加强我们彼此间交流与合作的重要载体，它将为我们建立起一个沟通、合作的平台。这次论坛我们将围绕"新世纪·友好与合作"这一主题，各抒己见，共商大计。这是新形势下友城政府之间、企业家与政府之间以及企业之间的一次重要的沟通与交流，必将为进一步密切相互之间的关系起到积极的促进作用。
　　武汉是中国湖北省省会，华中地区特大中心城市，由武昌、汉口、汉阳三大名镇组成，总面积8467平方公里，人口830万。武汉是中国历史文化名城，3500多年前，城市文明之光已在汉口北郊的盘龙城兴起。汉唐以后，汉口逐步发展成为国内"四大名镇"之一。19世纪中叶"开埠"以后，汉口"驾乎津门(天津)，直追沪上(上海)"，成为中国知名的商贸港城。
　　武汉具有较为明显的比较优势:
　　武汉是中国近代工业的发祥地之一，现有工业企业4万多家，已形成门类比较齐全、配套能力较强的工业体系，是国家重点建设的六大工业基地之一。以电子产品制造为主体的高新技术产业、汽车制造业和钢材制造业均在全国名列前三位。船舶、机车、电站设备、重型机床等生产能力和生产规模在全国也名列前茅。以武汉东湖新技术开发区、武汉经济技术开发区、武汉海峡两岸科技产业园三个国家级开发区为支撑的新的经济增长带初步形成。特别是近年来，通过引入大项目，培植大企业，全力推进国家级开发区的超常规建设，高新技术产业呈现出快速发展态势。
　　武汉科教实力雄厚，高等学校数、在校学生数和国?quot;两院"院士数均居全国第三位。拥有各类大学35所，其中拥有武汉大学、华中科技大学等国家重点大学7所，在校大学生35万，科研院所118个，研究开发机构700多个，国家级工程技术研究中心10个，国家重点实验室28个，国家级863计划成果产业化基地4个，中国科学院、中国工程院院士45名，各类科技人员45万。武汉整体科教综合实力居全国大中城市第三位。
　　武汉自古就是万商云集之地，有"货到武汉活"的美誉，腹地市场广阔，商品集散功能强。拥有商业网点十余万个，商业机构1万多家。武汉金融市场较为发达，已基本形成了资金拆借 、证券交易、外汇调剂、票据贴现等门类齐全的跨地区的金融市场体系。中国人民银行、证监会、保监会和国内主要商业银行的华中地区总部或地区办事机构均设在武汉。目前，武汉拥有各类金融机构网点2000多个，有境外金融机构9家，其中法国兴业银行和香港汇丰银行在汉设立了分行。截至目前，投资武汉的国家和地区达40多个，世界500强跨国公司中已有40多家在汉投资。
　　武汉地处中国富水区中心地带，降水、地表水和地下水含量都极为丰富，水资源优势十分突出。人均占有地表水达11.4万立方米，居世界大城市之首。地下水静储量约128亿立方米，平均每平方公里水资源达8348万立方米，为全国平均值的303倍。拥有大小湖泊370多个，号称"百湖之市"。世界第三大河流长江与其最大的支流汉江在武汉汇合。武汉河网水系纵横交错，各主、干支流长年平均径流量达7107亿立方米。水域面积2185万公顷，约占全市国土面积的25.1%，水域率居全国各大城市之首。
　　武汉素称"九省通衢"，是中国经济地理中心，距北京、上海、广州、重庆、香港等特大中心城市均在1000公里左右，是全国最大的综合交通枢纽之一。京广、京九、武九、汉丹4条铁路和京珠、沪蓉高速公路在武汉交汇；水运"干支一体，通江达海"，可辐射280多万平方公里的国土，综合运力居全国内河第1位；武汉天河机场是华中地区最大的航空港，现已开通131条国内外航线。同时，武汉还是全国八大长途电话枢纽、八大移动通信汇接中心、八大数据业务接点和最大的邮件集散地之一，能够方便快捷地与全球240多个国家和地区进行通信联络和信息交流。这些比较优势为加快武汉经济跨越式发展和社会全面进步、促进武汉与国际友好城市的交流与合作创造了有利条件和发展空间。
　　新中国成立，特别是改革开放以来，勤劳智慧的武汉人民用自己的双手建设美丽的家园，使武汉的社会主义现代化建设取得了辉煌成就。以国有企业为中心的各项改革稳步推进，社会主义市场经济体制框架基本建立。对外开放不断扩大，全方位的开放开发格局初步形成。国民经济持续快速健康发展，国内生产总值在1995年提前"翻两番"的基础上，"九五"时期又翻了一番，人民生活总体上达到小康水平，实现了社会主义现代化建设的第二步战略目标。城市建设和管理加强，城市功能不断提升。科技教育等社会事业蓬勃发展，社会主义精神文明和民主法制建设进一步加强。武汉综合经济实力在全国221个中等以上城市中居第六位。最近联合国发表了现今世界各国城市发展指标及发展前景的统计报告，武汉名列中国最具发展前途的25个城市的第六位。今日的武汉，呈现出蓬勃的生机与活力。
　　当今世界,经济全球化发展进一步加快，科技进步日新月异，城市之间的竞争也日趋激烈。因此，加强友好城市之间的交流与合作，探索城市发展新规律，促进共同繁荣和发展，是摆在我们面前的一个重大课题，也是我们共同的愿望。这里，我愿就新世纪发展友城关系，进一步加强友城之间的交流与合作提出几点建议，供朋友们参考。
　　第一，发展友城关系，应以促进共同繁荣和发展为宗旨。这既是友城人民的共同愿望，也是结成友好城市关系的根本出发点和落脚点。发展友城关系，既要加强人员往来互访，更要在经济、科技、文化等领域，广泛开展互利合作。各个友好城市虽然在政治、经济和文化传统上存在着不同差异，但崇尚和平、崇尚合作与发展是共识，我们要在平等互利原则的基础上发展友好关系，在竞争中相互取长补短，在求同存异中谋求共同繁荣与发展。
　　第二，发展友城关系，应以经济合作为重点。实践证明，友好有利于合作，合作能进一步促进友好。文化、艺术交流是友好与合作的永恒主题，经济交流是友好与合作的重点。我们要以文化、艺术交流为先导，进一步增进友城间的相互了解和友谊，为开展经济交流奠定基础。同时，要突出经济合作这个重点，把友城政府之间的交流与合作和企业界的交流与合作有机地结合起来，通过友城政府之间的交流与合作带动企业界的经济技术合作互动，做到政府搭台，企业唱戏，多方受益，促进友城关系的可持续发展。
　　第三，发展友城关系，应突出各自特色。各友好城市的国情市情不同，这就决定了我们同友城间开展友好合作的方式，不可能千篇一律，搞一种模式。我们应以推动友城双方经济或社会共同发展为前提，选择合适的项目，确定恰当的合作方式，有针对性地开展有效的交流与合作。同时，要根据新形势变化，紧密结合友好城市各自的发展战略，在以往交流合作的基础上不断创新，积极寻求和拓展互利合作的新途径、新办法，采取灵活多样的形式，提高友城交往的质量和水平。
　　第四，发展友城关系，应逐步走向制度化。为推动友好城市关系的持续健康发展，友城间的友好往来和互利合作应逐步形成制度，要把那些零散的、不定期的交流通过某种形式稳定下来，逐渐发展成为有组织的、稳定的交流。如友城间可根据平等互利的原则，组织代表团互访，每年签订各种友城协定、意向书、备忘录或年度交流合作计划，然后逐一进行跟踪落实。友城发展论坛会议也可走向制度化，今后可定期举行，采取不同的形式，探讨具体领域的交流与合作。
总之，只有在友城交往中注入更为丰富、更为灵活、更为务实的内容，把各友诚的独特优势和潜在活力充分发挥出来，友城之间的交流与合作才能焕发出勃勃生机，才能更加富有成效。
　　女士们、先生们：21世纪初是我们必须紧紧抓住并且可以大有作为的重要战略机遇期。面对经济全球化和中国加入WTO的新机遇、新挑战，武汉人民将以加快发展为主题，以提高人民生活水平为根本出发点，全面实施科教兴市和开放先导两大战略，加快光电子信息产业、汽车及现代制造业、钢材及新材料、生物工程及新医药和环保产业基地建设，努力构建可持续发展的经济系统、社会系统和生态系统，增强城市综合竞争力，促进经济跨越式发展和社会全面进步，把武汉建设成为华中地区重要的经济、贸易、金融、交通信息、科技教育中心。力争用10至15年时间，在中国中西部地区率先基本实现现代化，进而为把武汉建设成为现代化国际性城市奠定基础。
　　为了实现这个宏伟目标，我们将以更加积极的姿态和与时俱进的开拓创新精神，进一步推进全方位、多层次、宽领域的对外开放，在更大范围和更深程度上参与国际经济合作与竞争。我们将加快发展国际友好城市关系，加强与友好城市间的经济技术交流与合作，促进共同发展。我们将按照世贸组织原则和与国际经济接轨的要求，进一步转变政府职能，努力营造规范严格的法制环境、诚实守信的信用环境、周到优良的服务环境、文明健康的社会环境，使武汉成为更具吸引力和竞争力的投资兴业热土。我们热忱希望各友好城市积极参与武汉的经济结构调整，参与武汉国有大中型企业的改革重组，加强与武汉在高新技术、都市农业、环境保护、基础设施、文化、教育、卫生、体育等领域的广泛交流与合作，并在金融、保险、旅游、中介服务等领域的合作有新的突破。同时，也热切期望国内外朋友一如既往地支持武汉的改革开放和现代化建设，为武汉经济跨越式发展和社会全面进步献计献策。
　　女士们、先生们：实践证明，发展友好城市关系是开展国际友城之间交流与合作的重要载体和渠道，也是促进友城人民相互了解沟通的桥梁与纽带，对增进不同国家和民族间的相互了解，促进人类和平与社会进步，具有极其重要的作用。回顾过去，我们对已经取得的合作成果感到非常高兴。展望未来，我们对友好合作的前景充满信心。在这次论坛上，我们将签?quot;新世纪友好城市交流与合作武汉备忘录"。"武汉备忘录"的签署标志着我们与友好城市间的合作与交流站在了一个新的起点上。我深信，在充满成功希望的新世纪初，特别是通过这次武汉国际友好城市发展论坛活动，我们之间的友好合作关系必将不断巩固和发展，武汉与各友城的友谊之花必将开得更加绚丽多彩!
　　最后，预祝大会取得圆满成功!
　　祝各位嘉宾在汉期间身体健康，生活愉快!
　　谢谢大家!

Speech at the Opening Ceremony
by Mr.Li Xiansheng
Mayor of Wuhan, P. R. China

Distinguished leaders, guests, ladies and gentlemen:
In October of this golden fall, we are delighted to have with us friends from our international sister cities, recalling the history of our friendly exchanges and shaping our bright future. First of all, on behalf of Wuhan Municipal People’s Government and 8.3 million Wuhan people, I’d like to give my warm welcome and heartfelt thanks to the distinguished guests from 11 of our sister cities and all the friends both home and abroad.
In retrospect of the past, we have felt the great importance of enhancing inter-city exchanges and cooperation in our reform and opening up drive and development efforts. Since Wuhan forged its first pair of sister city relations with Oita of Japan in 1979, we have made such twinning arrangement with Pittsburgh of the United States, Duisburg of Germany, Manchester of the United Kingdom, Galati of Romania, Kiev of Ukraine, Khartoum of Sudan, Gyor of Hungary, Bordeaux of France, Arnhem of the Netherlands and Cheongju of Korea. Fruitful exchanges and collaboration drive have been carried out in areas of economy, trade, science and technology, education, culture, sports, public health and personnel training. It is noted France has located its Consulate General in Wuhan. Inter-city exchanges and cooperation have provided Wuhan people with excellent opportunities of understanding the outside world and getting to know foreign friends, opened effective channels to learn from and draw on top international cities’ managerial expertise and served as a spacious arena where Wuhan meets the world.
The Forum is supposed to become an important carrier on which our exchanges and cooperation are strengthened and hence a platform is created to facilitate our communications. Based on the theme of New Century-Friendship and Cooperation, we will use the Forum to share our views and discuss about our mutual development. This will be an important government-government, entrepreneur-government and enterprise-enterprise dialog and interaction under new circumstances.
As the capital of Hubei province and a top metropolis in central China, Wuhan consists of the three famous towns of Wuchang, Hankou and Hanyang with an area of 8467 square kilometers and a population of 8.3million.A famous historical and cultural city in China, light of urban civilization started to shine in Panlong Town in the north suburb of Hankou over 3500 years ago. after Han and Tang Dynasties, Hankou gradually developed into a top four town in China. Since Wuhan was open to the outside world in mid 19th century, Hankou, as a well known commercial and trading port city, was " superior to Tianjin and almost caught up with Shanghai"
Wuhan then enjoyed outstanding comparative advantages.
A cradle of China’s modern industry and a top six state-invested industrial base, Wuhan is home to over 40,000 industrial enterprises, which form an industrial complex with a diverse and complete set of sectors. Wuhan boasts China’s top three electronic products based hi-tech industry, automaker and steel maker. It is also the country’s leading producer of ships, locomotive engines, power station equipments and heavy-duty machine tools. A new economic growth belt propped by the national level Wuhan East Lake Hi-Tech Development Zone, Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone and Wujiashan Cross-Strait Science Park is taking shape. In recent years, particularly, as a result of introducing big projects, cultivating big enterprises and promoting unconventional growth of national level development zones, technology based industry witnessed continued rapid development.

Wuhan possesses strong scientific and educational capabilities. It has the country’s third biggest number of universities, enrolled students and academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering. There are a total of 35 universities in Wuhan including 7 state key universities like Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Enrolled students total 350 thousand. In addition, Wuhan is home to 118 research institutes, over 700 R&D organizations, 10 national level engineering and technology research centers, 28 state key labs, 4 national level bases for industrialization of scientific achievements listed in the state 863 Plan, 45 academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering and 450 thousand scientific and technical professionals. Wuhan is ranked the third place in comprehensive scientific and educational capabilities among all the large and medium sized Chinese cities.
Wuhan has long been a rendezvous for sellers since ancient times, which is reputed as "goods become circulative when in Wuhan" . Wuhan enjoys huge hinterland market with an outstanding function of gathering and distributing goods. There are a total of over 100 thousand shopping facilition and more than 10 thousand commercial organizations. Wuhan has a fairly advanced financial market. A trans-regional financial market system providing such services as borrowing and lending, securities transactions, foreign exchange adjustment and discounting is taking shape. People’s Bank of China, China Securities Regulatory Committee, China Insurance Supervisory Committee and major Chinese commercial banks have their central China headquarters or regional offices located in Wuhan. For the time being, Wuhan is home to over 2000 banking offices, 9 overseas financial organizations out of which French Societe General and Hongkong Banking Corporation set up their branches here. Up to date, investors in Wuhan are from over 40 countries and regions. Over 40 Fortune 500 companies have invested in Wuhan.
Located in the center of China’s rich water area, Wuhan is abundant in precipitation, surface water and ground water, therefore, it enjoys an outstanding advantage in water resources with a per capita possession of surface water 114 thousand cubic meters, ranking the first among big cities in the world. Wuhan has a static reserve of 12.8 billion cubic meters water resource with an average of 83.48million cubic meters per square kilometer, 303 times national average. There are a total of over370 lakes of various sizes and hence Wuhan is nicknamed city of hundreds of lakes . Yangtze, world’s third longest river and its largest tributary Hanjiang River meet in Wuhan. With a crisscrossing river system, Wuhan has an annual average runoff of 710.7 billion cubic meters in its main streams and tributaries all year round. The city’s water area covers 218.5 million hectares, making up 25.1% of the city’s total, which claims the biggest percentage among all big cities in China.
Wuhan has long been reputed as a "thoroughfare to nine provinces" . As the economic geography center of China, Wuhan is 1000 kilometers away equally from top metropolises such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Hongkong. It is China’s top hub of communications. Beijing-Guangzhou, Beijing-Kowloon, Wuhan-Jiujiang and Wuhan-Danjiangkou railway lines and Bejing-Zhuhai and Shanghai-Chengdu expressways meet in Wuhan. Water transport on main streams and tributaries are well linked and reaches the sea, which serves an area of over2.8 million square kilometers. Wuhan enjoys the biggest inland river transport capacity. As the largest airport in central China, at present, Wuhan Tianhe Airport serves 131 international and domestic air routes. Wuhan is China’s top 8 hub of long distance telephone service, top 8 mobile communications center, top 8 data service center and one of the biggest postal handling centers. Convenient and prompt communications service and information exchange is provided with over 240 countries and regions in the globe. These comparative advantages have created favorable conditions and development opportunities for accelerating Wuhan’s leap forward in economic growth and overall social progress and promoting exchanges and cooperation between Wuhan and its international sister cities.
After the founding of new China, particularly since the introduction of reform and opening up, hard-working and talented Wuhan people have been using their own hands to build their beautiful hometown and have made remarkable accomplishments in Wuhan’s socialist modernization drive. Various reform campaigns centering on state-owned enterprises are proceeding smoothly. A socialist market economy framework has been basically set up. Opening up keeps expanding and an overall opening up structure is taking shape. The local economy witnesses a sustained and healthy development and its GDP redoubled during the ninth-five year plan period (1996-2000) after it was quadrupled ahead of schedule in 1995. In general, Wuhan people are leading a relativelywell-off life. The second-step goal for Wuhan’s three-step modernization strategy has been realized. Urban construction and city management is being improved and city’s functional facilities are escalating. Social undertakings such as science, technology and education experience a flourishing development and construction of socialist spiritual civilization and democratic rule of law is further strengthened. Wuhan has the sixth biggest comprehensive economic capabilities among 221 large and medium-sized cities in China. A recent statistical report on worldwide cities’ development and prospect released by the United Nations listed Wuhan top six of 25 Chinese cities with the most potentials for development. Today’s Wuhan is full of vitality and dynamism.
In the present world, economic globalization is forging ahead and scientific and technological progress is soaring while inter-city competition is getting fierce. It remains an important subject to enhance exchanges and cooperation between sister cities and explore new regulations for city development so as to promote our common prosperity and growth. I wish to take this opportunity to bring to your kind attention a number of proposals on how to develop sister city relations and cement our exchanges and collaboration.
1. To develop sister city relations shall be based on the goal to promote common prosperity and development. This is the common wishes of the people of all sister cities as well as the fundamental starting point and footing to establish sister city relations. To develop sister city relations, we shall not only encourage exchange personnel visits but also carry out mutually beneficial cooperation in areas of economy, science, technology and culture. Despite political, economic, cultural and traditional difference among various sister cities, we all agree to advocate peace and support cooperation and development. We shall develop friendly relations on the basis of mutual benefit, learn from each other in the process of competition and strive for prosperity and development in the principle of seeking common ground while putting aside differences.
2. To develop sister city relations, first priority shall be given to economic collaboration. Practice proves friendship helps cooperation while cooperation can further promote friendship. Cultural and artistic exchanges have always been the eternal theme of friendship and cooperation while economic exchange is the priority of friendship and cooperation. We shall start with cultural and artistic exchanges to build up mutual understandings and friendship among sister cities and lay a foundation for economic exchange. At the same time, we shall stress the economic cooperation and organically incorporate governmental exchanges and cooperation with exchanges of businesses, that is, the governments are supposed to build an arena on which businesses give performance. As a result, various players would be benefited and sustainable development of sister city relations are promoted.
3. To develop sister city relations, we shall encourage diversities. Given that conditions in various sister cities and their home countries are different, modes of our friendly cooperation shall not be stereotyped. We shall, for the purpose of promoting mutual economic and social development, relevantly carry out effective exchanges and cooperation by selecting feasible projects and identifying appropriate mode of cooperation. In the meanwhile, in compliance with changing situation and sister cities’ own development strategy, bring forth new ideas on the basis of previous exchanges and cooperation. Positive efforts shall be made to seek and explore new channels and methods, in flexible and diverse forms, so as to raise the quality and level of exchanges among sister cities.
4. Efforts to develop sister city relations shall be gradually institutionalized. In order to promote the sustainable and healthy development of sister city relations, friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between sister cities shall be institutionalized in a step-by-step way. Those fragmentary and irregular exchanges may be fixed and gradually grow into orderly and stable ones. For instance, sister cities may exchange visits of delegations and sign various agreements, letters of intent, memo or annual cooperation plan on a year-on-year basis in the principle of equality and mutual benefit. Efforts shall be given to follow up one by one to make sure they are implemented. This Forum may also be institutionalized and held regularly so that we may explore exchanges and cooperation in various forms.
In summary, only if we fill sister cities’ exchanges with rich, flexible and pragmatic content and bring into full play the unique advantages and potential energy of each sister city, can the exchanges and cooperation among sister cities be full of vitality and fruits.
Ladies and gentlemen:
The beginning of the 21st century is an important strategic period in which we should grab the opportunities and accomplish a lot. Confronted with economic globalization and new opportunities and challenges of China’s entry into WTO, Wuhan people will, on the basis of the theme to accelerate development and the fundamental starting point to improve people’s living standard, implement the two strategies of rejuvenating the city with science and education and giving priorities to opening up and speed up the construction of optoelectronic information industry, automobile and modern manufacturing industry, steel making and new materials bioengineering and new medicines and environment protection industry bases. Great efforts shall be made to construct a sustainable economic system, social system and ecosystem, raise the city’s comprehensive competitiveness, achieve a leap in economic growth and overall social progress and build Wuhan into an important center of economy, trade, finance, transportation and information, science and education. We shall spend the coming 10 to 15 years in attempting to basically realize modernization, the first in central and western China and lay a foundation for building Wuhan into a modernized international metropolis.
To reach this ambitious goal, we shall, in a more positive manner and in a pioneering and innovative spirit which advances as time passes, further spur an all round, multi-tiered and extensive opening up and get involved in international economic cooperation and competition in more areas and to a greater extent. We shall accelerate the development of international sister city relations and enhance the economic and technological exchanges so as to achieve common development. In compliance with WTO rules and international usual practice, we shall further transform government functions and create a standard and strict legal environment, honest and reliable credit environment, considerate and satisfactory service environment and civilized and healthy social environment in an effort to make Wuhan more attractive, competitive and investor-friendly. It is our sincere hope that our sister cities positively get involved in Wuhan economic restructuring and the reform and reorganizing of Wuhan’s large and medium-sized enterprises and strengthen the wide-rangeing exchanges and cooperation with Wuhan in areas of hi-tech, urban agriculture, environmental protection, infrastructure, culture, education, public health and sports and make new breakthrough advancement in finance, insurance, tourism and agent service. We are also expecting our international and domestic friends continue to support Wuhan’s reform, opening up and modernization drive and advice on Wuhan’s leap in economic growth and overall social progress.
Ladies and gentlemen:
Practice proves sister city relationship serves as an important carrier and channel for inter-city exchanges and cooperation and a bridge and link for building up understanding and communications among peoples of various sister cities. It plays particularly important role in increasing mutual understanding of different countries and ethnic groups and promoting human peace and social progress. In retrospect of the past, we are very happy with what we have accomplished in our cooperation. Viewing the future, we are fully confident about the prospect for our friendly cooperation. In this Forum, we are supposed to sign Wuhan MOU on Friendship Cities’ Exchanges and Cooperation in the New Century. The signing of Wuhan MOU signifies we have placed our sister cities’ exchanges and cooperation on a brand new footing. I’m confident, in the beginning of the new century full of success hopes, particularly through this Forum, our friendly cooperative relationship will, for sure, keep strengthening and developing and the flower of our friendship will be in even more colorful blossom.
Last but not the least, I wish the Forum a complete success. Wish all the distinguished guests a good health and a happy stay in Wuhan.
Thank you all!