I'd like to extend belated Chinese New Year greetings to you and thanks to Xinhua News Agency for inviting me to share a few reflections.

Looking back on 2018, the year felt like a series of surprises.

In 2018, we continued to see exciting progress against poverty and disease around the world.

China has been a major contributor to this progress.

Over the past four million people out of poverty and became the second largest economy in the world.

Now it's stepping up its efforts to help solve some of the toughest challenges in the rest of the world.

During my recent visit to China, I attended the Reinvented Toilet Expo and once again saw China's innovation capacity with companies showcasing game-changing products that will to save sanitation.

I met Chinese scientists who are discovering new drugs to tackle infectious diseases like tuberculosis that affect the poor.

And I talked with Chinese partners who are sharing lessons from China's own development so African countries can make progress on vital priorities such as strengthening health systems and controlling deadly diseases like malaria and also improving agricultural transformation.

I believe in China's ability to help hundreds of millions of young people in the world's poorest countries fulfill their potential.