Distinguished Guests, 

Dear Colleagues, 

Friends,

Welcome to today’s celebration of the International Tea Day.

In December 2019, the 74th session of the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing May 21 as the International Tea Day. After three years of the pandemic, today we are holding the first in-person celebration for the International Tea Day at the UN Headquarters. Under the theme of "Tea for Green Development", I hope the face-to-face exchanges will not only enhance our friendship, but also explore the intrinsic link between tea and human development, and seek common development and a shared future.

The magic leaf of tea is a bridge between human and nature. If you look at the Chinese character "tea", you will find it is composed of three parts, with grass on top, people in the middle and wood at the bottom. The character itself is a picture of "people living in nature". From ancient times when most of our ancestors lived as farmers or herdsmen, all the way to the age of industrialization and information technology, tea has always been a close partner of people. It helps us sip the taste of life, enjoy the spiritual tranquility, evoke enlightenment, and bring our heart and soul back to mother nature. For thousands of years, the sustainable cycle from tea planting to tea drinking has been a vivid example of harmonious co-existence between human and nature.

The magic leaf of tea is a key driver for social and economic development. Tea is one of the world’s most important cash crops, with annual global trade exceeding nine billion US dollars. The booming of tea and its related drinking products and industries create many jobs and much economic value. Tea is an effective means to help less developed regions eradicate poverty, increase farmers' income, and promote sustainable rural development.

The magic leaf of tea is a bond between civilizations. The development of tea culture is an epitome of mutual learning between human civilizations. From the ancient Silk Road and Tea-Horse Road to today's Belt and Road Initiative, tea has transcended time and borders. It has promoted mutual understanding and friendship among peoples and diverse and harmonious coexistence among civilizations. 

China is the home of tea. In China, the time-honored tea culture is shining even more brightly in the process of Chinese modernization.

We are further promoting the tea culture. In November 2022, UNESCO included China’s traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices into its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. As China’s tea processing techniques have become a common asset for all humanity, we will surely increase our input for the preservation and inheritance.

We are further revitalizing the tea industry. In China, many places have made tea their special industry and new growth point. For example, Quanzhou has built an industrial cluster of tea with an output value of nearly 40 billion RMB. For many poor areas, tea has become the "golden leaf", lifting local people out of poverty and promoting rural revitalization.

We are using tea value chain to boost green development. To us, lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. By pursuing smart, low-carbon tea planting and processing, we continue to improve the natural environment and biodiversity, and promote the green development throughout the whole industry.

Dear Colleagues,

Not long ago, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Civilization Initiative, which advocates respect for the diversity of world civilizations, promoting common values of humankind, cherishing both the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and strengthening international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. Tea culture is an important part of human civilization. To enrich and develop global tea culture represents a key direction and active efforts for us to put the Global Civilization Initiative into practice. 

In today’s challenge-ridden world, we wish to use tea as a medium to promote international exchange and cooperation, enhance mutual learning, mutual understanding and mutual trust among civilizations, and achieve harmonious coexistence. We wish to use tea as a means to make friends, join hands for development, deepen partnership, achieve common development, and together build a community with a shared future for humankind. 

In closing, I hope we will have in-depth discussions on “Tea for Green Development” to share useful experiences and best practices, and I look forward to your thought-provoking remarks. 

Thank you！