The Chinese Embassy in Doha marked on Monday evening the 96th Anniversary of the foundation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army.
The Chinese Military Attaché at Embassy Colonel He Botao thanked the participating guests and ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions of different countries taking part at the event. In particular he thanked Brigadier General Mohamed Mahdi al-Ahbabi, Acting Commander of the Qatari Amiri Borders Corps, and HE Ambassador Ibrahim Fakhroo, Director of Protocols at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their support to the event.
Addressing the attendance Colonel He Botao pointed out that "On August 1, 1927, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) was founded at the critical moment of our nation and people. After 96 years of development, it has become not only the “Steel Great Wall” to safeguard our national security and people's interests, but also a powerful force to maintain regional and world peace. "
He stressed that "the PLA is the strong pillar of UN peacekeeping career as China actively participates in UN peacekeeping operations. It is the second largest contributor to UN peacekeeping budget and the largest troop contributor among the permanent members of UN Security Council. We have dispatched more than 50,000 peacekeepers to participate in 25 UN peacekeeping missions. Despite the huge danger of wars and landmines, harsh and infested environment, they perform the mission very well by safeguarding security and stability, offering great helps to local development in more than 20 countries and regions. "
He added that "Up to now, 17 Chinese military personnel have sacrificed their lives in the UN peacekeeping missions. In the future, China will increase its support and participation in UN peacekeeping career. The PLA has built a peacekeeping standby force of 8,000 troops, ready to maintain world peace at any time."
Talking about his career in Qatar, Colonel He Botao noted that " True friends are like close neighbors even they are thousand miles apart. Although China and Qatar are far apart, the friendship and exchanges between our two peoples have a long history. Particularly in recent years, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping and His Highness Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the political mutual trust between two sides has continued to deepen, and the cooperation in various fields has achieved fruitful successes."
He pointed out that "As an important part of bilateral relations, the military cooperation has also made great progress, showing the momentum of fruitful result, rapid development and good prospect. Especially in 2019, both sides established Defense Attaché Offices in each other's Embassy, which offered a new platform and stage for military cooperation. This is an important and great deed in the history of bilateral ties."
"I am very honored to be the first Chinese Defense Attaché in Qatar, and have worked and lived here over four years. During these days, I have been working with my Qatari brothers shoulder to shoulder to try to overcome the impact of COVID-19, actively implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and vigorously promote bilateral military cooperation and exchanges. And I also made a lot of good friends. It is one of the most important, beautiful and unforgettable experiences in my life. I will always cherish the wonderful memories of my time in Qatar," Colonel He Botao said talking about his appointment in Qatar.
Eventually, he told the participant that his term of appointment in Qatar is coming to end soon and he will resume his service in another place.
"I'm ending my tenure in Qatar and will leave for new post. On this parting moment, I would like to extend my most sincere thanks to friends of Qatar, most sincere thanks to colleagues of diplomatic corps," he concluded.
The celebrations featured a short documentary about the PLA, and both the Qatari and Chinse anthems were played in addition to the anthem of the PLA.