Concrete Action with the Warmth Moistening Everything Silently

On December 18, 2021, the opening ceremony of the 13th "Love Knows No Borders - Rural Revitalization, Health Care First" International Charity Sale was held in Beijing. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his wife Qian Wei, Party Secretary of the CPC Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Qi Yu, Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng and other officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with over 160 representatives of foreign embassies, offices of international organizations in China and relevant companies, attended the ceremony online and offline.

The opening theme video reviewed and introduced how "Love Knows No Borders" focuses on the overall goal of poverty alleviation in China and brings together love from all over the world to help mountain villagers; the short video "Let Dreams Fly High" used children's stories to depict the implementation of last year's charity sale projects, including financing the renovation of "Baby Hut" and distributing "Love Package" to local primary school students. The video showed the outstanding achievements of "Love Knows No Borders" by keeping up with the times and demonstrated China's firm resolve to make greater contributions to rural revitalization at the new starting point in the new era.

In her speech, Ms. Qian Wei expressed gratitude to foreign embassies, representative international organizations and kind-hearted people from all walks of life for their active participation and strong support for "Love Knows No Borders". Qian Wei said, it has been 12 years since the launch of "Love Knows No Borders", a public welfare activity conducted in a plain, sincere and heart-warming manner. The activity has promoted friendship and borne fruitful outcomes, making positive contributions to the poverty alleviation cause in China. With people from all walks of life at home and abroad joining hands to share love, the "Love Knows No Borders" International Charity Sale has gone from strength to strength, and assistance projects have made solid progress. A common cause calls for extensive participation. The trickle of love from people at home and abroad merges into great rivers, moistening remote and mountainous areas and changing the rural appearance and people's lives. Every effort of "Love Knows No Borders" turns into concrete action, and every love turns into the warmth that moistens things silently. "Love Knows No Borders" not only improves material conditions in remote and mountainous areas, but also tells local people that on the journey of creating a better life, our hearts are connected.

Qian Wei said, this year China completed the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, won the fight against poverty and started advancing rural revitalization in an all-round way. Shaking off poverty is not the end of the journey, but the starting point of a new life and a new struggle. People's health is an important goal of rural revitalization. The money raised at this year's charity sale will be used for upgrading the physical examination equipment for People's Hospital in Jinping County of Yunnan Province and purchasing additional special equipment for Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital in Malipo County, so that rural people can enjoy better medical services and keep health with them all the way.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to China Akram Zeynalli delivered a speech on behalf of foreign diplomatic corps in China. He extended congratulations on China's great achievements in poverty alleviation and expressed appreciation to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs for holding the "Love Knows No Borders" event for years running. He said, the event provides an important platform for people and cultures around the world to interact with each other, and also makes important contributions to China's poverty alleviation and the realization of the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Zeynalli said, this year diplomatic envoys and their wives in China were invited to visit the two counties of Malipo and Jinping in Yunnan Province to learn about the implementation of "Love Knows No Borders" Charity Sale projects. Everyone was deeply impressed by the solid measures and remarkable achievements of the Chinese government in poverty alleviation. Azerbaijan funded the construction of the playground of the Second Primary School in Malipo County through the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. As a good friend and partner of China, Azerbaijan will continue to support and participate in "Love Knows No Borders" and help China's rural revitalization.

Twenty-two embassies and international organizations in China, including the embassies of Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iran, Botswana, Comoros, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Chile, Cuba, as well as Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, World Intellectual Property Organization and International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation, were given the "Contribution Award", "Love Award" and "Diplomacy Award".

All the guests witnessed the official launch of the "Cloud Charity Sale" event, which is scheduled to last for one week on a special webpage "Offering Assistance through Consuming Products of Poverty Alleviation Flagship Store" of China's e-commerce platform Tmall.

In the evening, some foreign diplomatic envoys and representatives of international organizations in China, as well as representatives of the counties with which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pairs up or has supportive and cooperative relations, will promote their own culture and recommend charity goods with hosts on the live streaming booth of "CCTV News" on Taobao and the CCTV News App.

This year's charity sale also saw a series of short videos entitled "Me and the Charity Sale" being filmed and produced for the first time. More than 20 diplomatic envoys and their wives were invited to recount moving stories about the charity sale in the short videos. The videos were widely welcomed and given "thumbs-up".