It is great pleasure for me to be here in the Nixon Library and attend this grand celebration of Mid-Autumn Festival, which is one of the most important festivities for the Chinese people. I would like to thank the Richard Nixon Foundation and Orange County Music and Dance, especially my good friend Charlie Zhang for co-hosting this elegant event, and on behalf of the Chinese Consulate General and Consul General Amb. Zhang Ping, to extend festive greetings to all our friends here and your families for a happy and prosperous Mid-Autumn Festival.

Mid-Autumn Festival is the second grandest festival in China after Chinese New Year, which falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of each year. On that day, the moon appears to be roundest, brightest and the most beautiful in the whole year. By Chinese tradition. all family members  get together to appreciate the full moon and eat moon cakes to enjoy the happiness of family reunion and the beauty of life. This reflects the long inherited Chinese people's love and pursuit of peace, unity and harmony. The Mid-Autumn Festival is also celebrated as a harvest festival since fruits, vegetables and grain are ready to be harvested at this time. The following music and dance performance by OMD is exactly showcase of harvest of these talented students through their diligent and devoted work.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. It is meaningful for us to celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival and commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of China-US diplomatic ties at the Nixon library, as we could not forget the pioneering role of President Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972 which opened up the process of normalization of relations between our two countries and directly or indirectly changed the lives of many people across the Pacific, including Charlie Zhang, who has recounted his amazing personal story over the past years in his new book.

 After decades' development, China-US relations has become one of the most important bilateral relations in the world. It has not only brought tremendous benefits to our two countries and two peoples, but also promoted peace and prosperity of the world significantly. We have learned from the history of past four decades that cooperation is the only right option for us. It is something we should always uphold. On some important issues, cooperation with China is essential. For example, at the request of the US side, China has scheduled Fentanyl-like substances as a class. In the first and second quarters of this year, we saw a sharp drop of over 90% in the number of trafficking cases of China-originating Fentanyl-like substances in the US. There are also global issues such as nuclear proliferation, terrorism, climate change, natural disasters and those potential challenges posed by new technologies such as artificial intelligence requiring concerted international cooperation, especially China-US cooperation.

As China's economy grows steadily and its opening up and reform continue to expand and deepen, China's development continues to be an important opportunity for other countries, including the U.S. For China and the US, the right way ahead is to expand cooperation on the basis of mutual benefit, manage differences on the basis of mutual respect and develop a relationship based on coordination, cooperation and stability. We would also like to extend our sincere gratitudes for the long time support by friends from all walks of life, including our friends present here, in promoting cooperation and friendship between our two countries.

We have prepared photo exhibit Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of China-U.S. diplomatic relations and China National Toursim Office has prepared photo exhibit, namely Beautiful China, which showcases the natural and architectural landscapes of China. Please take your time to watch them, and I hope you will get a better understanding of China and Chinese people, the history of China-US relations and cherish more the friendship and cooperation between our two countries and two peoples.

Ladies and Gentlemen, wish you all again happy Mid-Autumn Festival and every one happy and prosperous life!

Thank you.