Remarks of H.E. Ambassador Mr. Li Song at the Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Vienna United Nations Chinese Language Day
（13 April, 2026, VIC）
Dear Deputy Director General LIU Hua，
Managing Director Gunther Beger,
Director Bo Mathiasen,
Dear Vice President SU Yi,
Distinguished colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends:
Welcome to the 2026 United Nations Chinese Language Day in Vienna. This year, we are bringing the Palace Museum to the UN.
Everyone familiar with China knows the Palace Museum. It is the largest existing and best-preserved ancient palace complex in the world. Established in 1925, the Palace Museum is a monumental repository of traditional Chinese culture, housing unparalleled collections of imperial architecture, ancient artifacts, and historical archives. As a world-class institution, it plays an irreplaceable role in fostering international dialogue and promoting mutual learning between civilizations.
The intangible cultural heritage preserved by the Palace Museum—including the protection of the surrounding environment, the restoration of ancient architecture, and cultural relic conservation techniques—constitutes an integral part of the culture of the Palace Museum. In recent years, new media technologies and cultural and creative products have emerged as new channels for sharing Palace Museum culture, gaining widespread popularity and acclaim among both the Chinese public and international audiences.
Over the past century, the Palace Museum has witnessed the history and the journey of the Chinese nation as it emerged from the profound crisis of modern times and advanced toward great rejuvenation. The Communist Party of China has united and led the Chinese people, building on the inheritance of fine traditional Chinese culture, to strive tirelessly for self-improvement and forged ahead with determination, writing a magnificent chapter in the history of the nation’s independence and liberation, as well as in the pursuit of Chinese modernization. Today, China’s high-quality development and high-standard opening-up are bringing new opportunities for development to the world and injecting strong and sustained positive energy into global common development.
As a founding member of the UN and a permanent member of the Security Council, as well as the largest developing country and an important member of the Global South, China is a steadfast supporter and active contributor to the work of the UN. In the face of shifting international circumstances, China has consistently acted as a principled, responsible, and constructive major country, upholding fairness and justice, safeguarding world peace, and promoting development and cooperation. As one of the official languages of the UN, Chinese has consistently conveyed the powerful voice of true multilateralism in the work of the UN.
Colleagues and friends,
Today’s themed exhibition on the Palace Museum is rich in substance and content. Among the exhibits are reproductions of two national treasures and masterpieces of Chinese calligraphy — Mid-Autumn Manuscript and Letter to Boyuan. These are celebrated works handed down from two great calligraphers of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Xianzhi and Wang Xun, dating back more than 1,600 years. Together with the seals, paintings and inscriptions added by later collectors, they vividly demonstrate the unique artistic appeal of the Chinese language and calligraphy.
The theme of this year’s Chinese Language Day is “World of Harmony”, a classic expression rooted in China’s traditional culture. It embodies the vision of moral integrity, sound governance and harmony among the people. This is a shared aspiration of people across all countries, and it is of special significance to a world still confronted with instability and turbulence.
President Xi Jinping has put forward the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and noted that peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom are the common values of humanity. He has also proposed the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative. These initiatives are in line with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and highly compatible with the shared interests and aspirations of the broad community of member states. They have come at the right time and received a strong support from the international community. China stands ready to work with all countries to uphold the authority of the UN through concrete actions, defend the UN, make the UN stronger, and contribute to the development and revitalization of the UN cause.
Recently, the Permanent Mission of China has been actively advancing the establishment of the Vienna Chapter of Group of Friends of Global Governance. As an open platform for all Member States, it aims to pool the wisdom and strength of all parties around five core principles, namely adhering to sovereign equality, abiding by international rule of law, practicing multilateralism, advocating the people-centered approach and focusing on taking real actions, to explore useful pathways for improving global governance.
China will continue to work with all countries to advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, advance the reform and improvement of the global governance system toward greater justice and equity, and jointly build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys enduring peace, universal security and common prosperity.
UN Chinese Language Day coincides with Guyu, or Grain Rain, one of China’s traditional solar terms. As the spring breeze and rain nourish all lives and bring abundant harvests across the world, may they also bring new confidence and hope to the cause of peace and development of the UN. I wish this year’s Chinese Language Day event every success.
Thank you.