Today is the 93rd anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). On behalf of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, I would like to extend the warmest congratulations and pay the highest tribute to all the officers and soldiers of the PLA!

For the past 93 years, from winning independence for the nation and liberation for the people to safeguarding the sovereignty, security and development interests of the country and promoting peace and development in the world, the PLA has made remarkable achievements and established an immortal monument!

Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on strengthening the armed forces, the PLA has enhanced political loyalty, pressed ahead with reform, strengthened itself with science and technology, and operated in accordance with law. It is marching forward in great strides to becoming world-class armed forces in all aspects.

At the same time, in the spirit of building a community with a shared future for mankind, the PLA has entered a new era of international cooperation. It has worked vigorously to fulfill its international responsibilities in peacekeeping, counter-terrorism and anti-piracy missions of the United Nations, in Covid-19 response and in humanitarian relief.

No matter how the international situation may change, China will always be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and an upholder of international order. The PLA will always be a staunch force for safeguarding world peace!

Military-to-military relationship is an important part of China-UK relations. This relationship and indeed the overall relationship between China and the UK have made continuous progress despite twists and turns and ups and downs.

History has proved that when China and the UK respected each other's core interests and major concerns, and observed the basic norms governing international relations, our relationship would make progress; otherwise, it would suffer setbacks.

In the post-Brexit and post-Covid-19 era, a sound and steady China-UK relationship is not only in the fundamental interests of the peoples of our two countries but also conducive to world peace and development.

It is my hope that we will learn the lessons from history to respect each other, handle differences properly and resist disruptions. By doing so, we can work together to ensure that China-UK relationship and the relations between our two militaries will make steady progress on the right track and serve the long-term interests of our two countries.