Remarks by H.E. Ambassador Song Zhe at the Madariaga-College of Europe Foundation
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2010-11-22 |
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Remarks by H.E Ambassador Song Zhe at the Madariaga-College of Europe Foundation
19th November 2010
Respected Mr. Defraigne,
Experts and Scholars,
First of all, thank you very much for organizing this interesting and meaningful conference. I am delighted to be invited and share with you my views on how to further grow China-EU relations.
This year celebrates the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Europe. Despite of the changes in China, Europe or even the world at large, we have both remained committed to stronger bilateral ties. As a result, we have seen the continued growth in our political relations and exchanges and cooperation across board, creating tangible benefits to both China and Europe. Take trade as an example, compared with the year when we set up diplomatic relations, our trade volume increased by 190 fold, from 2.4 billion US dollars to the expected 450 billion plus dollars this year. Today, Europe is China's largest trading partner, and China is Europe's second largest. Compared with the beginning of this century, business cooperation between the two sides has increased rapidly. The EU Chamber of Commerce in China now boasts 1,400 members compared with 51 in year 2000. Compared with last year, our bilateral trade this year has repelled the negative impact of the international financial crisis and recorded a robust increase, making valuable contributions to our economic recovery and growth. Apart from business, the coordination and cooperation we have on international affairs is also worth commending. By working together to address global challenges, we have made China-EU relations one of the most important pairs of bilateral ties in the world today.
Recapping these impressive achievements, I'm encouraged to see that China-EU relations is in its best moment, and I'm indeed impressed by the sustained and steady progress we have covered so far. Having said that, it is unsettling to find that the European public seems to be increasingly interested in the differences and disputes between China and Europe. I don't know how you will interpret this trend, but I do feel that there is a dark cloud of pessimism hanging over the prospect of China-EU relations. On the question of where China-EU relations are going, I think that if we approach this relationship from a historical, long-term and comprehensive perspective, we will find that the problems we have is not the case of majority. For these problems, competing interest is a factor, but more often than not, I find troubled perceptions the most fundamental cause. These misperceptions are attributable to our differences in history, culture, development stage, and social system and ideology.
First, the historical difference. History influences the way we think and behave, and historical imprints can be found in both of reality and future. Without the knowledge of Ancient Greece and Rome, we will not be able to fully appreciate how the ideas of freedom, democracy and the rule of law are deeply embedded in the everyday life of the people of the European society. For the same reason, one would find it difficult to understand the ideas of harmony, benevolent rule, and the respect for and pursuit of unity without proper knowledge of China's 5,000 years of history. And unless one studied our mortified modern history, he also wouldn't understand why the Chinese people cherish so much the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national dignity, and why "non-interference in internal affairs" is regarded as the most important principle in our foreign policy.
Second, the cultural difference. In India, there is an adage that speaks about wisdom as the jewel of knowledge, and culture as the splendor of wisdom. Each nation has its own wisdom and people from each different culture have their own unique perspective and approach to think and behave. The western culture took its root in Europe, whereas China is a main representative of the oriental civilization. Here I wish to borrow the ideas from a scholar to briefly summarize the difference between the two cultures. The European culture separates man from nature and man are supposed to conquer nature. It stresses the importance of individual person. And it believes in the spirit of reason. The Chinese culture pursues the unity of man and nature and man are supposed to adapt to nature. It stresses the importance of family. And it regards peace and being moderate with high esteem. The "Golden Mean Principle" is well integrated in the running of our domestic affairs-Our goal is to achieve harmonious and sustained progress in a stable and peaceful environment through coordinated and moderate tempo and intensity. In developing foreign relations, we have also faithfully upheld the spirit of peace, harmony and good neighborliness all in an effort to build a harmonious world.
Third, the difference in development stage. Thanks to the reform and opening up policy, the Chinese economy has sustained impressive growth for three decades, and in the second quarter this year, China's total GDP ascended to the world's second place. Nevertheless, the per capita GDP level in China is still behind the world's 100th place. If we use the World Bank's 1.25 US dollar per day standard, 150 million Chinese people are still living under absolute poverty. Robert Cooper, Director-General of the Council of the European Union, once told me that the EU has already entered the post-modern era, whereas China is still in its modern stage. Given such difference, it is only natural that we have distinct priorities and interests. For instance, with an average income 10 times higher than that of China, human rights activists in Europe probably won't worry about for seemingly minute matters like education and medical care. But for China, it remains the most fundamental human rights challenge to accommodate the basic need of the majority of people. In some less developed rural areas, villagers still resort to cooking by burning wood or wheat straw. These methods are of course neither environment friendly nor energy efficient. Still I wouldn't find it sensible to talk to them about adopting new energy or cutting carbon emission. After all, what else could one care about when there is simply not enough to eat? Guan Zhong, a Chinese statesman living in 600 BC, said to the effect that, only when the storehouse is fully loaded, would one begin to appreciate manners and courtesy; and only when one has enough to eat and to put on, will he begin to care about fame and grace. This remark precisely reflects our progressive perception on material basis and noble aspirations.
Fourth, the difference between social systems and ideologies. From the books and poems passed down some more than 2,000 years ago, we could see that the ancient Chinese, even back then, well understood that it is the law of nature that all things are different from each other. Many would also marvel at their wisdom as they handled their difference by saying that all paths lead to a same destination and all anxiety lead to a same aspiration for peace. The world has never been a unitary one. Countries vary greatly in culture traditions and social system. Our values are different, and the same is true to how we understand what development is all about. Therefore, we should never force our own ideas onto others. Instead, we should learn to accept and respect what others believe are best for themselves. Although we are well into the 21st century, we could still feel, from time to time, the chill of the Cold War mentality and the arrogance of the eurocentrism. It is regretful to see how sometimes our differences could finally lead to bias or even hostility against China. Very often, we will find in the media that today, China is going down. Tomorrow, China becomes a threat. And two days later, China is depicted as a tough and arrogant power. In fact, such negativity on China has never died. To quote from the New York Times, China has become the scapegoat for all problems on earth. The policies and actions taken by China that are no more than natural by common sense, once are "screened" by the colored lens, become a very real threat or ill-minded calculations.
Having talked about all these problems and differences, some of you might be confused, disappointed or worried. But on our part, we are confident that there is definitely a way forward. The important thing is that we should be visionary, tolerant, fair, reasonable, and have a big heart. As learned scholars, I believe that you must have a lot of valuable insights on this matter as well. Here, I wish to share with you some of my ideas on how should we properly address these differences and move our relations forward.
First, we should respect cultural diversity in good faith. 2,700 years ago, an ancient Chinese thinker said that, "things can only grow in an environment where different elements are harmoniously combined together, and the growth cannot be sustained if all elements become unitary." In this sense, in China we have an inherent culture to appreciate diversity. Last month, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao also stressed in the China-EU High Level Cultural Forum that in order to protect cultural diversity, we need to strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation and respect the independent development of others. The respect called for here is not a simple gesture, but sincere willingness to put ourselves into the others' position to fully understand their history, reality, and development choice. George Bernard Shaw said, "If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas." Cultural exchange will allow us to jointly promote ourselves for the better and contribute to the progress of mankind.
Second, we should promote more study and research on the development of China. We hope that all China scholars in Europe will work to give people an objective knowledge of China's development and what it means for the rest of world. We cannot expect this to happen if we believe hearsay, say what everyone say, or view China under the context of western ideologies and values. We hope that you will consider our history and cultural backgrounds and the perspective of the Chinese people when you look at China. In China, we will continue to support scholarly exchanges and joint academic researches and seminars just like our event today. We will try our best to make available to you more facts about China. And we are also looking forward to the academia' genuine understanding of China so that you will convey your fair view to the European public.
Third, we should continue to promote our comprehensive exchanges and cooperation. We should make good use of the China-EU Summit and other 50 plus bilateral dialogue mechanisms to strengthen policy dialogue, reduce misunderstanding, and increase political mutual trust. We should also give full play to the strong economic complementarity between China and Europe and work for win-win progress in our economic and trade cooperation. Exchanges in science and technology, culture, education and among youth is another area where we should focus. In particular, we should make active preparations for the supporting events of the Year of Youth in 2011. On international affairs, we need stronger coordination between China and the EU. We should bear in mind the larger interests of all peoples, jointly advocate a multipolar world and global governance, and make greater contribution to world peace, stability, and prosperity.
Mr. Defraigne, Experts and Scholars, In this fast developing globalised world, the destiny of China and Europe is tied together. Today, sound China-EU relations are of great relevance not only to the Chinese and Europeans, but also to the world peace and development. As China and Europe have both moved to the key stage of development, opportunities and challenges coexist in our bilateral ties. Under such a context, there are even more reasons for diplomats and scholars to strengthen dialogue and work for objective perception of the other. With your good will and knowledge, I firmly believe that we will get this work done, and I'm full of confidence that the future of China-EU relations can only be better. To conclude, I once again thank Madariaga-College of Europe Foundation for organizing this event.
Thank you!