On 1 October, H.E. Yang Xiaoguang, Chinese Ambassador to PNG publishes a byline article to PNG's media Post-Courier and The National entitled "Seventy-Seven Years of Glorious Achievements, Writing a New Chapter of China-PNG Friendship —Celebrating the 77th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China". The full text is as follows:
On October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was founded. Today, we celebrate the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. For 77 years, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the Chinese people of all ethnic groups braved numerous storms and waves and forged ahead, fundamentally changed China's miserable fate of being weak for over 100 years, creating two major miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability and achieving the great transformation from standing up and growing prosperous to becoming strong for the Chinese nation.
During the past 77 years, China made great transformation from being a poor, underdeveloped agrarian country to becoming the second largest economy in the world, with its manufacturing, trade in goods, foreign exchange reserves and energy production ranking the first in the world. China's contribution to the global economic growth maintained around 30 percent for many years in a row. In 2025, China's GDP exceeded 140 trillion RMB yuan (approx. 89.7 trillion kina). In the first 6 months of 2026, China's GDP was almost 70 trillion RMB yuan (approx. 44.9 trillion kina), which is a 4.7% year-on-year growth, and it's also the largest increase in the same period during the past 5 years. With an enormous consumer market, robust manufacturing sector, highly-developed infrastructure, vast talent pool and complete supply chain system, the fundamentals and supporting conditions of China's long-term economic growth remain unchanged, making China's economy highly resilient and vibrant.
During the past 77 years, started from scratch, China forged a world-leading scientific research system. In recent years, China's growth in research and development (R&D) expenditure, progress of core technologies breakthroughs in key fields and expansion of emerging industries have all accelerated. China's quantity of R&D personnel and applications for invention patents ranks the first in the world. China has made major achievements in a wide range of fields, including aerospace and aviation, quantum science, artificial intelligence and green development, and has held about 60% AI-related patents in the world Currently. Since the beginning of this year, China has made new breakthroughs in core technology in key fields such as integrated circuit, leads the global forefront in the R&D of innovative drugs and succeeded in rocket recoveries both on land and at sea. The highlight of China's foreign trade has evolved from the "New Trio" (electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, photovoltaic products) in the past few years to the recent years' "New New Trio" (AI, robot and innovative drugs), demonstrating the robustness of "intelligent manufacturing in China" and "innovation in China".
During the past 77 years, from zero to growth, from growth to scale, China has built the world's largest systems of education, social security, healthcare, urban housing security, electricity as well as the world's largest logistics network. China has lifted 800 million people out of poverty. When the People's Republic of China was founded, China's average income per capita was 66 RMB yuan (approx. 42 kina). Nowadays, that number is more than 43,400 RMB yuan (approx. 27,800 kina), which is a 650-fold increase. The life expectancy grows from 35 years in 1949 to today's more than 79 years. China now has over 5.4 million kilometers of roads open to traffic, over 50,000 kilometers of high-speed railways in operation, and over 5 million 5G base stations. With its rate of homicide, criminal offense and gun violence among the lowest in the world, China is also recognized as one of the world's safest countries.
During the past 77 years, China is playing an increasingly important role on the international stage. China is a founding member of the UN and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, as well as the first country to sign the UN Charter. In 1971, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 restored all the lawful rights of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations and affirmed that there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory, and the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China. In recent years, in the face of a changing and turbulent international landscape, China has actively demonstrated its sense of responsibility as a major country. Chinese President Xi Jinping has put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative. These initiatives offer Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions for addressing global turbulence and challenges, tackling the common problems of the humanity, and building a better world. China actively advocates the establishment of the International Organization for Mediation, World AI Cooperation Organization, and nominated Xiamen as the candidate in hosting the secretariat of Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). These efforts are widely supported and acclaimed by international community.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-PNG diplomatic relations. Many friends from PNG who have been to China said that China is the future. Choosing cooperation with China means choosing opportunity and choosing the future. During the past 50 years, PNG is not only a witness of China's prosperity, but also a beneficiary of China's development. The China-PNG Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has continued to develop, with political mutual trust consolidated, fruitful pragmatic cooperation achieved, and friendship between our two peoples enhanced. China has always adhered to the principle of respecting the sovereignty, independence, will, culture and solidarity of Pacific island countries in developing relations with PNG. China and PNG firmly respect each other's core interests and major concerns. China highly commends PNG's effort in truly adhering to the one-China principle and closing down the "Taipei Economic Office in Papua New Guinea". We believe this will further consolidate the political foundation of the development of the relations between our two countries and the deepening of our pragmatic cooperation.
China has an enormous market and advanced technologies, while PNG is rich in energy, minerals, agricultural, forestry and aquacultural resources. Our two sides enjoy complementary advantages and huge potential for cooperation. China has provided PNG with a large quantity of development assistance and become one of PNG's largest export market. China's assistance to PNG, provided within its capacity, is guided by the principles of no political strings attached, non-interference in internal affairs, and making no empty promises. China stands ready to further enhance its cooperation with PNG in such fields as trade and investment, infrastructure, agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, energy, minerals, medical and healthcare, education, people-to-people exchange and security to bring tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries.
Standing at a new historical starting point, China looks forward to working with PNG to further strengthen bilateral exchanges, deepen political mutual trust, and promote cooperation across various fields to continuously turn our potential in cooperation into tangible outcomes, deepening and substantiating the China-PNG Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and jointly building the China-Pacific Island Countries Community with a Shared Future.