Ambassador Li

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

It is indeed a great pleasure to welcome you all to the Palais des Nations for this spectacular cultural pageant organized by the Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China. 

 

The first line of the "Analects of Confucius" reads: "How very glad we are to welcome friends from afar".  And this is exactly what the UNOG Cultural Activities Programme does: it connects cultures and communities from across the world in friendship.  We are grateful to Ambassador Li and his team for bringing us not only this evening's performance, but also the remarkable photo exhibition "Charm of Macao", which opened earlier today. 

 

Together, these two events epitomize the values and principles of our Programme, and I am sure that they will charm and enrich us all.

 

This evening, we are treated to traditional Chinese martial arts – Wushu.  And we welcome also as our friends the experts from the Chinese Wushu Association who will show us the breadth and depth of Wushu both as an art and as a sport.  We are pleased to offer our Assembly Hall as a stage for them to showcase their remarkable skills so that we may "meet friends through Wushu" (以 武 会 友).

 

Wushu is a signature component of the rich and profound Chinese cultural heritage.  As a way of life for the Chinese people, it combines elements of culture, tradition, fitness and competitive sports.  Encompassing both moral development and physical training, Wushu epitomizes the traits that people in China seek to nurture – courage, endurance, perseverance, resilience and team spirit.  On this foundation, Chinese Wushu is gaining popularity and taking root across the world, while advocating friendship among people and amity among nations.

 

Combing body and mind, Wushu enables the harmonious interaction of all aspects of life.  Harmony is also a cherished value for the United Nations.  As enshrined in our Charter, harmonizing the actions of nations is an essential purpose of the Organization.  Bringing together all actors across the three pillars of our work – peace and security, development and human rights – based on a holistic and harmonious approach is crucial to delivering results for those we serve. 

 

As we are confronted with most complex challenges ever, we need to "combine our strength and work together" (通力合作) to achieve a harmonious world.  Tonight's display of strength and grace, of determination and diligence, of cooperation and coordination, can provide important inspiration in this shared task.  

 

I invite you to enjoy this evening's performance in that spirit.  Thank you very much.