By Mr. Chen Runyun
Vice President
Academy for International Business Officials (AIBO), MOFCOM,
December 29th, 2020
Distinguished Mr. Zhang Yijun, Minister Counselor of Chinese Embassy in Kenya, Mr. Abdullahi Mustapha Meteorologist from Nigeria, Prof. Jiang Zhihong, vice-president of Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology（NUIST），Prof. MA Tinghuai, Executive Deputy Director of WMO Regional Training Center Nanjing,
Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen,
I am happy to meet you online. Across the screen, every one of you looks so sound and safe. It’s a great pleasure to me!
Since the beginning of the year 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world. And even now, our planet is still facing a grave challenge. Today we get ready to welcome the New Year 2021, I believe, all of you and us are filled with good expectations. Because of the pandemic we cannot have face-to-face meetings in China, but nothing can stop our efforts from learning and sharing knowledges, technologies and experiences. Now we are gathering in the cloud.
With the joint efforts of all parties involved, the expected Seminar on Weather Modification Technologies and Management for Developing Countries is opening today! On behalf of the seminar sponsor, Ministry of Commerce of People’s Republic of China, and its Academy for International Business Officials, I would like to extend warm congratulations to this opening! My sincere greetings also go to all participating friends from Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria!
Moreover, I must show my appreciation to my colleagues in the Economic and Commercial Counselor’s Office of Chinese Embassies in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria for their excellent assistance, and to the working team of Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology for their excellent organization.
Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen,
Weather modification is a professional subject, a key operation of meteorological services. It serves agricultural production, supports disaster prevention and reduction, promotes environmental protection and facilitates major public events. It has also long been a focal working area of the meteorological service in China.
Here I’m willing to share some information related to how climate change has impacts on poverty reduction efforts in China. To eliminate absolute poverty nationwide is one of our key priorities in the last years. 95% of most impoverished population in China live in ecologically vulnerable areas. They suffer the most from the impacts of climate change. Climate change has actually become a prominent factor leading to poverty or the recurrence of poverty in those areas.
In China, it is true that the year 2020 means the hit of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also means the success in reaching our preset goal of lifting almost 100 million people from absolute poverty under the current standards. We have achieved by 10 years ahead of schedule, the poverty reduction targets of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A remarkable contribution from China to the world-wide poverty elimination efforts over thousands of years.
In this seminar, we have included introduction to our efforts in this regard. We hope through this arrangements, you will see that China, as a developing country, still has a lot to do to cope with the challenges in the course of its development even it has become the second largest economy in the world.
China upholds peaceful development. We are willing to work with other countries to build a community of share future. Therefore, this seminar on weather modification is developed to share knowledges and China experiences in related areas, in disaster prevention and reduction in particular.
Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen,
Here I must mention the seminar host, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology. NUIST has a highly professional international training team and has invested numerous resources in hosting this online seminar, fore-running batch of training events in 2020 with our sponsorship. Many of the seminar activities have already filled with us great expectation, e.g. the online guided tours! So NUIST, for all you have put in, please accept our great “thank you” !
May this seminar bring a rewarding and inspiring experience to all of you. Hope the knowledges and experiences you learn will build up your capacity in managing meteorological disasters, and make your economies more resilient, and ultimately improve the livelihood of your peoples. You are already working for our common ambition of ending poverty all over the world.
Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen,
The epidemic knows no border, but it will certainly be brought to the end. To share China’s practice and experience in containing COVID-19, we have integrated some programs in the seminar schedule. Hope our world can be free from the epidemic earlier. By that time, you are welcome to our face-to-face training events in China!
Finally, I wish this seminar a great success! Also I’d like to take this opportunity to express my best wishes to you and your families for peace, health and prosperity in the coming new year 2021!
Thank you for your attention!
