Madame Chairperson, Respected Minister Zhou, Vice Minister Xie, dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, and colleagues,

　　We are misusing the word “historic”. We are using it nearly inflationary. But in this very moment, it is good to name this as a historic moment. It is historic with regard to the fact China is celebrating its 60 years of new China, celebrating its 30 years of open China, 60 years and 30 years of great success. We are witnessing that this makes the historic development really paradigmatic shift. We see the unprecedented financial crisis made us necessary to have a new sense for common responsibility. We see very clearly our partners to bring those together who are deciding on the perspectives of our globe. It is a paradigmatic shift you could see the development going more and more from G 8 to G 20. It is a paradigmatic shift what we have just listened to the speech of our good friend Minister Xie. It is a shift learning the lesson that prosperity based on the externalization of cost to the environment and to the social fabric will never be a stable situation. We must go out of the dictatorship of shorttermism. We have to overcome the situation where we bring the cost of development to next generation or other people in the world. Therefore, it is so important to see this paradigmatic shift as a way towards sustainable prosperity, and the step on the long way to an ecological civilization. It is that most important transformation that we have to finalize, and this without any double links to the topic of our meeting “energy, environment and development”. We cannot forget that development is in this equation. Poverty has to be overcome. By far we still have not implemented the MDG concerning poverty in this world. So we need development, but we have to do it in a responsible way.

　　I mentioned also as a historic moment, China only some days before, by Premier Wen Jiabao offered Africa a very broad based financial support for the future, what a chance to bring also in this program the low carbon signals we learn here. So it is always a multi-plan spillover effect, which I believe is very important.

　　Finally, I am an old hand in this meeting. I believe I belong to those our old friend Minister Xie named as those being 18 years already here. It is not absolute polite to remind us that we are already as old, but nevertheless, he is right. Therefore I think we have this important moment where we have a chance to be asked to contribute to the next Five-Year Plan.

　　That is a unique chance. I am extremely happy this afternoon because we have one of those working groups concentrate on the question “what can we recommend to be integrated in this ‘12th Five-Year Plan’ of China”. I believe we should end up to those expectations. If I see all the papers presented, congratulation to the Chief Advisors to their great work! Congratulation to all those five Task Forces! They are made papers available, which gives us a chance to end up to this expectation: really to honestly to contribute to this “12th Five-Year Plan”. Therefore, I believe it is not to go in the modern and inflationary use of the word “historic”, if I say yes. This paradigmatic shift, I could only single out some-sentences on this makes it very clear that we have to do a good job. Based on those papers, I am very sure that we can deliver a good report to give to the State Leader, to Premier Wen Jiabao on Friday.

　　Thank you very much!