This year marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Founded,nurtured and led by the CPC, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been serving the people wholeheartedly as its fundamental purpose since its birth in 1927,and has won brilliant honor and glory in striving to liberate the Chinese nation, in safeguarding China's sovereignty, security and development interests, as well as in taking part in the socialist construction and the reform and opening-up. It has set up a positive image as defender of world peace,protector of international order and contributor to global development.

Since its founding in 1949, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has been committed to developing friendly cooperation with all countries based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and advocates partnerships rather than alliances. The PRC is opposed to interference in the internal affairs of other countries, bully of the weak by the strong, and stands against any aggression or expansion, and opposes arbitrary use or threat of use of force.The Chinese PLA advocates common,comprehensive,cooperative and sustainable security, endeavors in deepening bilateral and multilateral security cooperation, and contributes to a security architecture featuring equality,mutual trust,fairness,justice,joint contribution and shared benefits.In the meantime, as the armed forces of a major country,the Chinese PLA earnestly fulfills its international responsibilities and obligations, and actively participates in the UN peacekeeping missions, ship escort operations, and international efforts in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and make concerted efforts to respond to global challenges such as terrorism,cyber security and severe natural disasters.Faced with the sudden outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic which has been affecting the whole world,the Chinese government and the Chinese PLA, adhering to the idea of building a community with a shared future of mankind, provide at the first moment medical supplies and later vaccines to some countries,dispatch abroad tens of medical expert teams, and introduce advanced technology and practical experiences for their reference. These measures are regarded as useful in assisting relevant countries to fight and control the pandemic and they are a clear indication of the Chinese wisdom and the Chinese strength.

China is persistent in following the road of peaceful development,and pursues a national defence policy defensive in nature. China has neither provoked a war or conflict,nor has it occupied an inch of land of other countries.The Chinese defence budget,which is about 1.3% of the Chinese GDP on the average, remains at a moderate level, and is much lower than the average ratio of the world. As the international situation becomes more and more volatile and complicated, China is faced with increasing challenges and threats. Steered by the Xi Jinping Thought on Building a Strong Military, the Chinese PLA will adhere to the CPC's absolute leadership, implement the Military Strategic Guideline in the new era,and speed up the national defence and armed forces modernization drive. It has determination, confidence and capability to safeguard China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will provide solid strategic support in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and make new contributions to world peace and stability as well as to human progress.

In the past few years, the bilateral relationship between China and Latvia remains stable on the whole, and economic cooperation and cultural exchanges have yielded some positive results,and the knowledge and understanding of China from all sectors of Latvia has been on a gradual rise. Dr. Artis Pabriks, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Latvia, was invited to attend the 9th Xiangshan Forum in 2019 in Beijing, where he held a bilateral discussion with the Chinese State Councillor and Minister of Defence General Wei Fenghe. Through the visit, the two officials get a better understanding of each other, and mutual military trust is increasing steadily. So we firmly believe that so long as our two countries, and the two armed forces in particular, have a long-term and future vision in mind,seek common ground while reserving differences on the basis of mutual respect, look at the political system and the defence buildup of the other country objectively, and make efforts to implement the consensus reached by the two Defence Ministers, the bilateral relationship between the two armed forces will gain a stable and healthy development.