(September 29, 2019)

Comrades,

Friends,

Today, as the Chinese people of all ethnic groups cele-brate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, we are holding this grand ceremony to award the country's highest honors to a group of outstand-ing Chinese who have done exceptional service to their country and to foreign friends who have made outstanding contribution to the exchanges and cooperation between China and the rest of the world.

At the outset, on behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the National People's Con-gress, the State Council, and the Central Military Commis-sion, I wish to extend our warmest congratulations and pay highest tributes to the Chinese heroes and role models who are to be awarded the Medals of the People's Republic and National Honorary Titles and to foreign friends who are to be awarded the Friendship Medals.

The honorees of the National Medals and the National Honorary Titles represent tens of thousands of Chinese who have made exceptional contribution to the great un-dertakings of the Party and the people. As vivid examples of the Chinese national ethos and the core socialist values, their achievements and contribution will go down the histo-ry of the People's Republic.

Heroes only emerge and abound where they are admired and emulated. Our Party and country always underscore the importance of honoring heroes and role models. Today, we have chosen to commend them by awarding them the high-est honors, with the very aim of promoting the defining traits shared by all of them - loyalty, conviction, and mod-esty.

- Loyalty.Our heroes and role models all have an un-failing commitment to the endeavors of the Party and the people. They are loyal to their ideal of serving the people and to their self-imposed mission of seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. They have left soul-stirring epics with their life-long dedica-tion.

- Conviction.Our heroes and role models have all stepped forward and risen to the occasion where the Party and the people need them the most. They have immersed themselves in their work, day in and day out for decades on end. They are committed to serving the country and the people, have no complaint or regret, and have remained dedicated to achieving national renewal.

- Modesty.Our heroes and role models have all been making selfless contribution on ordinary jobs, always placing the greater good above their personal gains. They have this noble character of not claiming credit but always making sure to contribute their share to the success of the cause. Many of them have accomplished incredible feats while being content with remaining obscure, giving expression to selflessness of the highest order.

Such examples stand as evidence that out of the ordi-nary comes the great. With abiding faith, hard work, and a down-to-earth attitude to get every ordinary job done, an ordinary person can have an extraordinary life and an ordi-nary job can produce extraordinary results.

I hope that the comrades awarded today will cherish the honor, keep going, and influence more people with your faith, conviction and confidence. Party committees and gov-ernments at all levels should take good care of our heroes and role models, and encourage the whole society to respect and emulate our heroes and take concrete actions to con-tribute their share to the realization of the Two Centenary Goals and the Chinese Dream of the great renewal of the Chinese nation.

Comrades,

Friends,

Also awarded today are some old friends and good friends of the Chinese people, those who have rendered us support and help over the decades. We are truly grateful to you for your contribution to China's development. The Chi-nese people will work with the people of all the other coun-tries to build a community with a shared future for mankind and make our world a better place to live in.

Comrades,

Friends,

All things great are achieved through hard and sus-tained efforts, and all great causes have to be advanced by building on past success. The new era will be one in which great things can be done. I call on the whole Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to stay committed and hardworking like our heroes and role models. Let us work together in this great new era to score still greater achieve-ments for the People's Republic.

Thank you.