China Values How It Is Perceived By The World

By Mohd Nasir Yusoff (This is the first of a two-part article written by a Bernama journalist who was part of a recent study trip to China. The trip was organised by the China Foundation for Peace and Development, with the cooperation of Umno.) BEIJING, Oct 16 (Bernama) -- Although China has turned into an economic powerhouse after instituting economic reforms more than three decades ago, it is still attentive to how other nations perceive the nation. Why is this so? This question played prominently in the minds of the 15 Malaysian journalists who participated in a recent study tour of the nation, which is home to a whopping 1.3 billion people. Not surprisingly, too, the lecturers at Renmin University in Beijing, where the Malaysian journalists attended a series of lectures, talks and dialogue sessions, also sought to find out from their guests what Malaysians thought of China. Some of their questions, complete with multiple-choice answers, in the feedback form which the participants had to complete and submit to the authorities at the end of the 10-day programme included: “What comes to your mind the minute China is mentioned?” Among the answers listed were “communist nation established in 1949 and led by Mao”, “strong developed country, and “a country set to become a super power”. Another question sought to find out how Malaysians viewed China. And, among the answers given were, “communist nation”, “threat to peace”, “pollution”, and “economy that has provided good opportunities to Malaysians”. It appears that China is still enduring the stigma of its repressive past – after all, it cannot be denied that the country once struck fear into the hearts of many nations, especially in this region, which found its communist ideologies a threat. Nevertheless, when questions pertaining to this were levelled at the university lecturers and China Foundation for Peace and Development (CFPD) officials, they gave convincing answers. NOT HAUNTED BY COMMUNIST STIGMA China, they said, is concerned about how other countries perceive it because it wants to be seen as a nation seeking to share its wealth and prosperity with the world. China is well aware that it would be a tedious task to sustain its economic might if other countries fall back in their growth and progress. Only the economic well-being of the region, as well as a teeming global economy, will ensure a growing market for China-made products. “This is why China is striving to reverse whatever negative image it has. This is taking place in various fields and has been going on for a long time. We want to share our success and prosperity with others,” said a Renmin University lecturer. This, she added, explains why China is ever sensitive to how other nations view it. CFPD Deputy Director-General, Ji Ping, said it has taken China some time to institute the economic and marketing reforms that have propelled it to becoming an economic giant. As a matter of fact, the world too has acknowledged China’s impressive growth and development. It has, nevertheless, been a time-consuming affair as China wanted its pace of progress to fit into the mould the nation had cast for itself, explained Ji Ping, adding that the process of change was initiated by Chairman Mao Tse-tung and intensified by Deng Xiaoping, and others to date. “The objective was to look for a development model that best met and fulfilled our nation and society’s need,” he told the Malaysian journalists attending a lecture at Renmin University. He is of the opinion that any country in the world has the right to seek out the optimum way to put itself on the growth path for the benefit of the nation and the people. CHINA’S GROWTH IMPRESSIVE The Chinese authorities were rather pleased with the positive replies presented by the Malaysian journalists as to how their fellow citizens currently perceive China. It is a fact that Malaysians are generally impressed with China’s rapid economic growth, which has created lots of opportunities for Malaysian businessmen. These days, communism is rarely linked with China and, in Malaysia, the topic only crops up as a local issue. Malaysia’s young generation is familiar with China as the nation that has produced great badminton players like Lin Dan, and as a diligent manufacturer of a wide range of products well sought after by youngsters, such as electronic gadgets including mobile phones. China is probably also happy that most Malaysian youths are not all that obsessed with the issue of China possibly being a security threat to the region. It is evident that China makes use of its military strength to take care of its internal security. It should also be noted that it does not play an active military role in global political hotspots. The security aspect is mainly highlighted by analysts who feel that China is rightly qualified to play the power-balancing role to maintain peace in the region, although they are aware that China’s military strength might be a cause for concern for other powerful nations. China itself has recognised the Asean region as a zone of peace, freedom and neutrality (ZOPFAN). As with the other super powers, China is also a dialogue partner of Asean. Proof that China values the views of other nations lies in one of the questions it had put forward to journalists during the recent study tour. The question sought to gauge how Malaysia regarded China’s foreign policy and among the multiple-choice answers given was this: “It is hoped that China and the United States will forge friendly ties and play a joint role to develop Asia.” This answer, perhaps, succinctly relays the message China intends to extend to its friends through journalists. China, being a nation that has experienced rapid development, is also keen to learn from others what kind of role it should play on the international front. In fact, it has already carried out various programmes to uplift the standard of living in certain needy countries. -- BERNAMA