Building a Bridge of Friendship and Trust between the Peoples of China and Europe
2010/12/14
Respected President Nilsson,
Vice President Xing Yuanmin
Ladies and Gentleman,
First of all, thank you very much for inviting me to this 8th China-EU Round Table. This meeting bears particular significance as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of China-EU diplomatic ties. The remarkable achievements registered in the exchanges and cooperation between China Economic and Social Council (CESC) and European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is a strong testament to the constant growth of our relations over the last three and a half decades.
The last decade has witnessed the fastest growth and maturing of China-EU ties. We have upgraded our relations in leaps from constructive partnership to comprehensive partnership and to comprehensive strategic partnership. China-EU Summit, High Level Economic and Trade Dialogue (HED), High Level Strategic Dialogue and other dialogue mechanisms, fifty plus in total, have been established and are operating smoothly. China and Europe share many identical or similar views on major international and regional affairs. We both call for a multipolar world. We worked together to fight against the financial crisis and climate change. We are both committed to the political resolution of international and regional hotspot issues. Today, the most stable, constructive and influential ties between China and Europe among all major powers contribute enormously to world peace and stability.
Through years of support and assistance to each other's development, cooperation between China and Europe has grown both in size and in depth, making us highly interdependent and share a same destiny. We firmly support European integration. Chinese market provides European enterprises with huge business opportunities. Because of our products, each European household is able to cut their living expense by an average of 500 Euros per year. Since the outbreak of the international financial crisis and the sovereign debt crisis, the Chinese government has demonstrated unwavering support for Europe through our purchase of European products and government issued bonds. Europe is our indispensable partner as we pursue moderate prosperity in China. The European Union supports China's reform and opening up and has transferred necessary capital, technology, and management expertise to underpin our fast economic growth. Our bilateral trade volume has grown from 2.4 billion US dollars a year in 1975 to this year's nearly 500 billion. Europe has become China's largest trading partner, export market, and source of import and technology transfer. China has moved up to the second largest trading partner and the fastest growing export market of Europe.
Cultural and people-to-people exchange between China and Europe has also greatly expanded and deepened over the past 35 years. When we first established our diplomatic ties, few ordinary people other than diplomats in China could visit Europe. The same story could be told for Europe as well. Today however, over one million Chinese tourists visit Europe every year. It is estimated that by 2020, China will surpass the US and Japan and become the biggest non-EU origin of tourists for Germany. Close to 200,000 Chinese students are pursuing academic degrees in Europe. More than 150,000 Europeans are working in China. In Belgium alone, there are three Confucius Institutes. This reflects the growing popularity of the Chinese language in Europe. In addition, we have harvested extraordinary success in some major people-to-people exchange events. Over one million visitors took part in the Europalia-China Arts Festival. The EU for the first time participated in the World Expo in a non-EU member state. And many Chinese people are deeply impressed by the celebration of the European Day in Shanghai during the Expo.
Having talked about all those encouraging progress, I should also say that due to our different history, culture, tradition, ideology, political system and economic development level, there is still a lack of adequate mutual trust between us. I often say that because China is so far away, our friends in Europe often see China with the help of a telescope. Yet more often than not, the telescope we count on betrays the reality with distorted images.
Scenario one is that we correctly hold the telescope in a forward perspective. When the telescope brings China closer, it also makes the image of China bigger. Sometimes, the lenses magnify China to an extent that's much bigger than we actually are. This makes people falsely think that we are now a developed country only behind the United States. People are no longer able to see our numerous development challenges and the fact that we are still behind around 100 countries in terms of per capita GDP. As a result, fears for China's rise begin to grow, the strength of China is viewed as a threat to the interest and development model of Europe, and China was demanded to assume international responsibilities way beyond our capacity.
Scenario two happens when people flip around the telescope and see China in a backward perspective. This time, what people see through the lenses is all about China's past. China is presented as a closed and conservative state with rigid system and institutions. Such situation prevents people from appreciating the remarkable progress we have achieved in democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Then there is this idea to change China so that we can follow the western model and development path.
The two scenarios of image distortion is a serious reminder of how much further we still need to go in strengthening mutual understanding and trust before we can achieve genuine harmony and common prosperity between our civilizations and development models. Here I wish to particularly acknowledge the contribution of the CESC and EESC in this area. I applaud the exciting progress that we have seen in the China-EU Round Table over the last three plus years. This mechanism along with other exchanges and cooperation between our two institutions has substantially promoted understanding and friendship between our peoples. Through this positive platform for our comprehensive strategic partnership, we have issued seven joint statements that epitomized our constantly growing practical cooperation and increasingly targeted and in-depth conversations on a wide range of economic and social issues.
Next year, we will celebrate the China-EU Year of Youth, and in 2012, the Year of Intercultural Dialogue. These events send a strong message that both China and Europe want to further grow our nongovernmental exchange. For the CESC and EESC, this is a historical opportunity. It is our hope that your stronger cooperation will gather more popular support for China-EU ties.
Speaking of the future cooperation, our expectation for the CESC and EESC are threefold. The most important issue is to work for more trust and less misgivings. Our differences and the lack of knowledge in the other have often led to our different views on a number of issues. This is nothing but natural phenomenon. As dialogues help reduce difference, build agreement, and promote cooperation, there is a good chance that the current situation can be effectively improved through this round-table mechanism. To put forward concrete advice is another important task. Dialogues and meetings between our two institutions are supplementary to governmental exchange between China and Europe. In the future, we hope to see more positive and operational advice coming out of this round table to support the overall growth of China-EU ties. Last but definitely not the least, I wish to stress the importance of innovation. There are already good practices of trilateral dialogue and joint seminar. We could free our minds to map out other new forms of exchange and devise a more comprehensive agenda.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
State to state relations relies on understanding and mutual trust. This cannot happen without sufficient communication and exchange between two peoples. In 1715, the first Belgian merchant ship set out a voyage to China from the Port of Ostend. Years later, the ship returned fully loaded with silk and spices. Trade had yielded sizable business profits. Yet the lack of communication left no ground for durable friendship to grow between China and Belgium. Half a century later, in 1793, when the British diplomat George Macartney presented himself before the Chinese Emperor Qianlong, the two empires once again missed the chance to develop equal partnership due to the difference in culture and mindset. Today, much progress has been recorded in China-EU relations and so has the growing influence of nongovernmental exchange. It has become a strong pillar for our bilateral ties. It helps us promote trade, resolve disputes, and strengthen friendship. I firmly believe that stronger exchanges and cooperation between the CESC and EECS will construct a bridge of friendship and trust between the peoples of China and Europe. To conclude, I wish the 8th China-EU Round Table a complete success!
Thank you.