Chirac highly praises Deng as great statesman of China & world: Interview

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birthday of Deng Xiaoping, French President Jacques Chirac, in an exclusive interview by PD correspondent Zhang Zhuji stationed in France on August 19, talked about his contacts with Deng Xiaoping, highly praising Deng, the chief architect of modernized China, as a great statesman of China and the world at large in the 20th century. The following is a record of the interview.

Question: Mr. President, August 22, 2004 is the 100th anniversary of the birthday of Deng Xiaoping. The Chinese people are organizing various commemorative activities to mark the occasion. As I know, during Deng's visit to France on invitation in 1975, you, as French Prime Minister at that time, accorded him a reception, is that your first meeting with him? Do you still remember things about that meeting?

Answer: Yes, when Mr. Deng Xiaoping paid his official visit to France in 1975, I had the honor to meet him for the first time. Through that meeting, I got the impression that he is straightforward and warmhearted, and had the international relations at his finger-ends. He viewed France-China relationship as a cornerstone of China's foreign policy, making it possible for China's diplomacy to break through group politics and Cold War logics. In my personal feeling, at that time he was very happy to come again to this country which had a special position in his mind, because in the days of his youth and the revolutionary ideal he conceived at that time were closely linked with this country.

In September 1973, President Georges Pompidou made an official visit to China, who was the first head of state from a Western country to pay a formal visit to the People's Republic of China. Thereafter, Deng's trip to France was the first official visit by a high-ranking Chinese leader after the establishment of diplomatic ties between France and China. That was an important day in the history of development of our bilateral relations, as well as a historic event. Later, motivated by President Jiang Zemin, the relations between our two countries continued to develop. Nowadays, President Hu Jintao and I myself, in this same spirit, are devoted to continuing the promotion and deepening of the comprehensive strategic partnership between our two countries. In October this year I will pay another visit to China, by then the cultural year of France will begin. I am convinced that through the visit, France-China relationship will certainly gain fresh progress.

Q: Did you later have an opportunity to meet Deng Xiaoping again? What impression did he leave on you?

A: During his official visit to France in 1975, Mr. Deng invited me to visit China. I was invited to visit China in September 1978, therefore I had the opportunity to meet him again. At that time, Mr. Deng had been reappointed as vice-chairman of the CPC Central Committee, and he had had an idea about China's economic and social modernization 20-30 years later. And that was the strategy for reform and opening up which was elaborated in his speech made at the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee several months later. Today, with the passage of time, we have come to a deeper understanding of the far-reaching significance of this strategy.

Through several meetings, the impression Mr. Deng Xiaoping left in my memory

is: Compared with many other people, Deng had earlier perceived the expectations of the Chinese people and he had thus formulated for them a development model which, as viewed to date, remains unique. Mr. Deng launched a genuine reform. Today, we have perceived the result of this reform. In my memory and that of all other Frenchmen, Deng is the chief architect of the modernization of China today and its economic development, he is one of the personages who had made contribution to making China an important member on the international stage. He is an important great statesman in the 20th century in China and the world as a whole.

Q: Deng Xiaoping arrived at Marseilles on October 19, 1920, and began in France a work-study program for as long as over five years, finally he left the country on January 7, 1926. Decades afterwards, Deng Xiaoping, like many of his schoolmates, such as Zhou Enlai and Chen Yi, who studied in France at that time, became main leaders of New China. Mr. President, how do you look upon this phase of experience of Deng Xiaoping in France?

A: In his speech delivered at the French National Assembly in January 2004, President Hu Jintao mentioned that many most well-known Chinese leaders, such as Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai, as well as some great masters in literature and artistic masters such as Ba Jin and Qian Zhongshu¡ªall had the experience of living in France.

While living in France, Deng Xiaoping once studied French in a local high school. In subsequent years, he worked in several factories including an auto plant. It was in such an environment that he came to know the development of workers' movement and change in the international situation in the period between the end of WWI and before the outbreak of WWII.

In the 1920s, France was indeed a place attracting foreigners, especially Chinese students. This was because at that time France's cultural and artistic life was very lively which was almost unique in the entire continent of Europe. These students or intellectuals later brought this great vigor they perceived in France back to their motherland.

I think this phase of experience in France left a deep impress upon Mr. Deng Xiaoping. This section of experience provided him with inspirations for his later engagement in political struggle and his effort in building a modernized China opening to the outside world. He is a state leader bringing China on to the course of the 21st century.

The above article, published on the front page of People's Daily on August 20, 2004, was translated by People's Daily Online.