Vice President Alik addresses Chinese Government Officials, the Diplomatic Corp, Foreign Investors, Friends of the FSM in China and FSM Citizens during the Celebrations of the 23rd FSM National Day in Beijing

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Vice President Alik addresses Chinese Government Officials, the Diplomatic Corp, Foreign Investors, Friends of the FSM in China and FSM Citizens during the Celebrations of the 23^rd FSM National Day in Beijing

Palikir, Pohnpei (FSM Information Services): November 6, 2009 – November 06, 2009 (FSM Embassy, Beijing) Following is a transcription of the statement by the Honorable Vice President Alik L. Alik at Kempinski Hotel in Beijing on 06 November 2009 during the Celebrations of the 23^rd National Day and the 20^th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations with China:

Statement by
The Honorable Alik L. Alik

On the Occasion of the
23^rd FSM National Day
and the
20^th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations with China

6:30 PM 06 November 2009
Kempinski Hotel, Beijing

Excellencies, Director General Zheng, Distinguished Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other Ministries, Friends from China and the Pacific, Fellow Micronesian Citizens, Ladies and Gentlemen

At the outset, let me first express my appreciation to everyone here tonight for honoring us with your presence this evening as we celebrate a milestone in our nation’s history.

Tonight’s celebration is a twofold. The first is a celebration of our Independence Day which was achieved on November 3^rd 1986, the day when the US administration of our islands under the United Nations strategic Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was terminated. On this twenty-third anniversary day, we are proud of the accomplishments we have made in the face of formidable challenges and adversities. Throughout our history, we have unwaveringly strived for enhancing our sovereignty by living up to our obligations in the international community and preoccupying ourselves with nation building. We maintained our goal for self government and finally achieved it through a peaceful process of self determination.

Today, we celebrate this great achievement and we pay tribute to our founding fathers for their pioneering work in the formative stage of our nation. We also extend our appreciation to our development partners for their continued assistance towards our nation building efforts and seek their continued support during these challenging times.

Tonight we also celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between my country and our host state, the People’s Republic of China. Twenty years ago, our two Governments embraced each other diplomatically under the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence. Those were the principles that were etched into the joint communiqué of August 29, 1989 by the architects of the FSM-China relationship that came into effect on September 11, 1989. I am proud that twenty years after that historical moment, we continue to proactively engage each other to enhance what our two sides have come accustomed to call the “FSM-China Model relationship.” We are truly grateful to the Chinese Government and its people for the continued support towards our development efforts. And tonight I would like to reiterate our strong commitment to the One China Policy.

With those few words, Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, may I ask that you join me in proposing a toast:

• To the long lasting friendship between FSM and China;

• and to the health and continued wellbeing of the Chinese people and leadership,

Gambei … Xie xie.