Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder has said he will come to Beijing to attend the Opening ceremony of the (2008) Olympic Games. Meanwhile, in a last Wednesday's article for the German weekly Die Zei, he enunciates his own outlook of China on a range of subjects, including topics regarding historic achievements in its reform and opening to the outside world, the (multilateral) structure of the world and German's China policy, with a view to "supporting the Chinese government as a partner in modernization".
On account of such a correct, incivie understanding of the history of China and its contemporary history in particular, acknowledges the article, the nation's development is "very positive", people in China now live a much better and far secured life while many of them have received a good education, and look outwardly to the world with an open mindset. Internationally, China has carried out an all-dimensional foreign policy of peace, devotes itself to talks for peaceful settlement whenever it comes into a dispute with a neighboring country and organization, and the nation has involved itself more and more with active peacekeeping actions overseas.
The article reflects the author's in-depth awareness of China's concrete national conditions. During his tenure of office, Gerhard Schroder made six trips to China and, after he was relieved of his chancellorship, he came to visit China three or four times each year. Schroder has availed himself of more opportunities to contact Chinese statesmen, entrepreneurs and intellectuals on a wide range of topics, and so he acquires an in-depth understanding about China and builds up his "faith in taking China as a partner", the article notes. He endorses China's endeavor to put the livelihoods of people in the first place; he holds that China maintained its stability as a multi-ethnical nation in the course of carrying on its modernization program, which he cites as a fine example of the best attainments scored in the annals of human civilization in the last century.
The article gives a unique representation of his awareness for the global setup. The world is currently moving increasingly toward multilateralism, and China, Russia and India are playing a growing role worldwide, according to Schroder. And Chins now gives scope to an ever-expanding, vital role not only in economics but also on the global political arena. The solution of numerous global issues, such as climate change, energy security and war on terror, cannot do without China, and still less to antagonize with China.
Schroder's exposition on the German diplomacy towards China is quite constructive. Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between two nations, the successive governments of Germany have all along kept to the "one-China" policy and recognized both Tibet and Taiwan as parts of China, he acknowledged.
The Western world has its own outlook of democracy, he confesses candidly, but he holds that it should discard the practice in which Westerners passed themselves off as self-styled "teachers", because Germany has also experienced a prolonged, difficult democratic process with a sad lesson to draw from, and so the export of (Western) democracy won't do; it is essential to hold China's historic, political and cultural hallmarks in respect, whereas only the maintenance of a stable and complete legal system can be reckoned as a prerequisite for achieving democracy. Furthermore, Schroder maintains that the bilateral strategic partnership can be developed only with assured mutual respect and trust.
Schroder also cited his own experience to say that any responsible statesmen should not take "ritualistic, symbolic activities, which are only aimed at the public". On this point, he added, a more veteran statesman and ex-German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt on June 14, 2008 warned Western nations against arrogance toward China. Speaking at the German Council on Foreign Relations, a Berlin-based think tank, Schmidt said "Western countries should renounce arrogance as well as patronizing moral and political preaching" in dealing with China.
Schroder, who had visited China six times as chancellor between 1998 and 2005, made at least two meritorious services with regard to the expansion of Sino-German ties. One is the forging of Sino-German strategic partnership of global responsibility within the framework of an all-round strategic partnership between China and the European Union (EU), which facilitates the comprehensive growth of bilateral ties in the political, economic, cultural and other fields and enables the dialogue (between the two nations) to proceed steadily and cooperation to turn more effective. And the other feat is his tremendous support for China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Facts have eloquently proven that his view on this issue is farsighted, as China's accession to WTO has not only benefited Europe but promoted the development of the multilateral global trade system.
People have witnessed, not without regret, twists and turns in Sino-German relations after Schroder left office, and this was quite rare and unprecedented however after the forging of bilateral diplomatic ties between the two great nations. Some farsighted German statesmen of insight recognize the issue as one relating to China's sovereignty and the German side apparently lackes careful, proper consideration with some of its moves, which consequently impairs the mutual trust. With joint efforts from both sides, bilateral ties are returning to the normal. On this bilateral relations, former Chancellor Gerhard Schroder said with a sense of profound feelings: "such mutual trust must never get lost again", and his advice should indeed merit much mulling and introspection.
By People's Daily Online and its author is PD reporter Liu Huaxin
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