Mr. Zhang Wenbai, distinguished gentlemen and ladies: At the invitation of Mr. Chiang, I have come to Chongqing this time to discuss the grand plan for peaceful nation-building. I am deeply grateful for your most gracious hospitality. In particular, I am profoundly touched and truly humbled by the splendid gathering hosted this evening by Mr. Zhang and his wife—described as both a welcome and a farewell.

The current negotiations between our two sides have attracted widespread attention throughout the country and around the world, for what we are addressing is not merely a matter concerning two political parties; it is a question of paramount importance to the interests of the entire Chinese people. As Mr. Wenbai just noted, the atmosphere of the talks has been constructive, and the outlook is optimistic—views with which we fully concur. For now that fascist Germany and Japan have been vanquished, both the global landscape and China stand bathed in light. Under such circumstances, to engage in discussions on unity, cooperation, and national unification is indeed reason for optimism—and indeed, we ought to be optimistic.

Over the thirty years from August 1914 to August 1945, we endured two world wars. Yet this second conflict differed fundamentally from the first: this time, the peoples of the entire world achieved a glorious victory, and China, in particular, secured an unprecedented triumph. This victory has propelled both the world and China into a new era. It is within this new phase that we have come together to deliberate on the issues of unity, cooperation, and peaceful nation-building, a task of extraordinary historical significance.

As Mr. Zhang has just pointed out, the majority of the outstanding questions have already been resolved, while others are still under active consideration, with the firm resolve to find peaceful solutions. “Harmony brings prosperity”; any alternative course of action would be gravely mistaken. On the broad policies and fundamental principles at stake, we are in complete accord. These policies and principles are dictated by the fundamental interests of the Chinese people, and it is our shared duty to implement them faithfully.

Mr. Zhang also remarked that China will require thirty, perhaps even fifty, years of peaceful development. We, too, recognize that challenges lie ahead, yet none of us shies away from them. Guided by the overarching principles of peace, unity, democracy, and national unification, and under the leadership of Mr. Chiang, the Chinese people possess the strength and resolve to surmount any obstacle. The cooperation emerging from these talks is not temporary but long-term; the unity we seek is not fleeting but enduring. Through mutual understanding and trust, working in unison, we shall surely overcome all difficulties and build a new China!