Turning 60 is an important milestone in the life of any person, let alone a country. A big parade was held in Beijing yesterday to celebrate the dramatic improvement in living standards in the 60 years of the People's Republic, and the party continues, with a national holiday running until next Thursday.

A mood of nostalgia has also prevailed, people comparing photos and telling stories. This has led me to reminisce over an old handkerchief parcel of food coupons my mother left me. For decades in China there was rationing of everything from meat to cloth. I grew up knowing and experiencing hunger. My mother kept the coupons in case such times were to return. They never did.

In 1949 China's GDP was $18bn, or $50 per capita. In 2008, total GDP reached $4.3 trillion and $3,260 per capita. In the past 30 years, 200 million people came out of poverty. Today, Chinese society has become open and dynamic. There are close to 2,000 newspapers, more than 9,000 magazines and 287 TV channels. With 700 million mobile phone subscribers, 300 million internet users and 180 million bloggers, not surprisingly the Chinese lead the world in texting, blogging and surfing the web. Some 800 international journalists sat in some of the meetings of the National People's Congress this year and asked questions. And more than 30,000 journalists covered the Olympics last year.

There has also been major progress in developing the rule of law and local democracy. In the past 30 years, 223 laws were promulgated, a task that has taken many countries hundreds of years. When the labour law was debated, the National People's Congress received 200,000 suggestions, largely from public letters, emails and web comments. Elections were introduced at rural level 10 years ago, and all of the 64,000 village committees are directly elected. The government is working hard to introduce democratic decision-making at all levels to ensure that people's voices are heard.

But we know we still have much to do. After all, China's per capita GDP ranks 104th in the world while the UK's is 20th. Britain is about the size and population of China's Hunan province, yet Britain's GDP is 17 higher. Per capita overseas investment in China is only 1/25th of that of Britain. Some 135 million people across the country still live on less than a dollar a day.

Any small problem can grow into a huge one if multiplied by 1.3 billion. A big achievement can become too tiny to notice once divided by that number. China will press ahead with reforms aimed to build a strong and harmonious society, where every child is at school, everyone has work to do and a roof over their head, every sick person is treated, and every elderly person is taken care of.

China's rapid progress would not have been possible without close interaction with the world, the west in particular. In the past 30 years, China's trade increased from $20.6bn to just under $2.6 trillion, a more than hundredfold rise. Thirty years ago, foreign direct investment in China was virtually nonexistent. In 2008 it grew to $92.4bn, ranking first place among developing countries. As of the end of 2008, China has invested $150bn in 170 countries and regions. In the past 30 years, 1.39 million Chinese studied in 109 countries. In 2008, 45 million Chinese travelled overseas as tourists.

China's rise in the world was not achieved through war or aggression but through exchanges and trading. Seeking friendship and fostering a peaceful and co-operative international environment is China's constant objective. We are learning to fulfill our growing international responsibilities, from restoring global growth to fighting climate change, and will continue to partner Britain in this process. My mother's food coupons will go to the British Museum as I have promised. On this 60th birthday we celebrate our past and our future.

Fu Ying is China's ambassador to the UK

中国人看重60周年的纪念，无论是一个人的年龄，还是一个国家的历程都是如此。昨天在北京举行了盛大的阅兵仪式，欢庆建国60年来人民生活发生的巨大变化，节日的喜庆气氛将持续到下周四。

人们也产生了怀旧情绪，用照片和故事的对比，回顾着家庭生活的变迁。在这个情绪的影响下，我也翻出了母亲留给我的包在手绢里的旧粮票。多年来，中国从肉制品到布料，几乎所有的日用品都实行过配给制，我本人也曾经体验过饥饿的滋味。我母亲保存着这些粮票，是防备短缺的日子再度出现。但这样的日子已经一去不复返了。

看看这组数字：1949年建国时，中国的GDP总量只有180亿美元，人均GDP只有50多美元，而2008年GDP总量达到了4.3万亿美元，人均GDP达到3263美元。过去30年，2亿中国人摆脱了贫困。中国社会也变得越来越开放和充满活力。全国共有近2000种报纸、9000多种杂志，287家电视台，还有7亿手机用户，3亿网民和1.8亿博客，毫不奇怪，中国人是世界上发短信、写博客和上网最活跃的国家。今年，800名外国记者参与了两会的采访，他们还能够旁听一些会议的讨论并提问。去年共有3 万名记者采访了北京奥运会。

中国在民主法治建设方面也取得了重要进展。过去30 年共制定了223项法律。讨论劳动法期间，全国人大收到20万多条建议，大部分是民众直接通过信件、邮件和网上留言提出来的。10多年前，中国开始实行基层选举，六万四千个村民委员会由村民直接选举产生。政府坚持推进政治体制改革，加强各级民主决策，倾听民众意见。

但是，我们清醒地认识到，还有很长的路要走。中国人均GDP排名第104位，英国排第20位。英国的国土面积和人口与中国的湖南省差不多，但英国的GDP却是湖南省的17倍。中国人均海外投资额仅为英国的1/25.目前仍有1.35亿人每天生活费不足一美元。

在中国这样的人口大国，任何小的困难只要乘以13亿就会成为大难题，任何成就除以13亿就变得微不足道。中国将继续坚持改革开放，建设富强与和谐的社会，目标是实现全国人民学有所教、劳有所得、住有所居、病有所医、老有所养。

中国的快速发展离不开与世界，特别是西方国家的交往。改革开放30年来，中国的贸易总额由206亿美元增加到2.5616万亿美元，增长了100多倍。30年前，中国基本没有外商直接投资，2008年，外商直接投资达到924亿美元，在发展中国家名列第一。到2008年年底，中国共在170个国家和地区投资近1500亿美元。过去30年，共有139万中国学生在全球109个国家留学。到2008年，中国出境游达到了4500万人次。

中国的崛起不是通过战争和侵略得来的，而是在与他国的交流与贸易中实现的。因此，推动友好关系、营造和平、合作的国际环境是中国孜孜以求的目标。我们将认真履行从恢复全球增长到应对气候变化等各方面的国际责任，并将继续与英国发展合作。我已经答应把母亲留给我的粮票捐赠给大英博物馆。在中国60周岁的生日之际，我们为取得的成就而欢庆，也为更加美好的未来而欢庆。