'China is ready' for Olympics

Xi: Landmark events ensured 2021 was a year of 'exceptional significance'

China is ready to present a great Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games to the world, President Xi Jinping has said.

In his New Year address to ring in 2022 on Friday, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said the world is turning its eyes to China for the upcoming event, and "China is ready".

"We will spare no efforts to present a great Games to the world," he pledged.

In the address, Xi looked back on the past year, which, he said, was of "exceptional significance" to China as it went through landmark events in the history of the Party and the State.

The past year witnessed a resilient and dynamic China, a country with its amicable and respectable people, a country developing rapidly with each passing day, and a country making continual progress in all its undertakings, Xi said.

At the historical convergence of the Two Centenary Goals, he said, the country has set out on a new journey of building a modern socialist country in all respects and is making confident strides on the path toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Xi recalled the celebration of the centenary of the Party on July 1, and underlined the importance of remaining true to the Party's founding mission.

"Only through vigorous and determined endeavor can we fulfill our responsibility to history, prove worthy of our times and live up to people's expectations," he said.

Xi pointed out that realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation will be no easy task that will happen overnight or through sheer fanfare. "We must always keep a long-term perspective, remain mindful of potential risks, maintain strategic focus and determination, and 'attain to the broad and great while addressing the delicate and minute'."

He talked about his inspection tours nationwide in the past year, saying "every time I visit people in their homes, I would ask if they have any more difficulties, and I would remember everything my folks have to share with me."

Xi said that realization of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and elimination of extreme poverty is what the CPC has delivered to the people, and it is also a contribution to the world.

"To ensure that everyone leads a better life, we must never rest on what we have achieved, and there is still a long way to go."

Xi highlighted the nation's efforts in ecological conservation, emphasizing "if we do not fail Nature, Nature shall never fail us".

He also commended people from all walks of life who made contributions to the country's development and the COVID-19 response, saying that the hard work and dedication of countless unsung heroes have all added to the great momentum of China's march forward in the new era.

Noting that the prosperity and stability of the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions are always close to the heart of the motherland, Xi stressed that "only with unity and concerted efforts can we ensure sound implementation of One Country, Two Systems in the long run".

While saying that the complete reunification of the motherland is an aspiration shared by people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, he expressed his hope that all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation will join forces to create a brighter future for the nation.

Xi also urged the international community to promote unity, solidarity and cooperation to write a new chapter in building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Full text: 2022 New Year address by President Xi Jinping