My Rethinking - TANG GUOQIANG, Chinese Ambassador to Norway

My Rethinking

TANG GUOQIANG, Chinese Ambassador to Norway  

China’s experience cannot be exported. By the same token, not all Western experience will suit China.

The dusts have settled surrounding the Nobel Peace Prize Award Ceremony. However, the controversy over this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is far from ending. The past months have seen floods of malicious accusations against China. I do not know to what extent the rhetoric of some western media and governments in support of the Norwegian Nobel Committee represents public opinion. What I do know is that thousands of Norwegians and Chinese have emailed, written to or called me and the Chinese embassy to express their disappointment about the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and many others have expressed similar views in newspapers and magazines. I also know that over one hundred countries have voiced understanding and support of China’s position.

 

Gap of perception

What is of grave concern to me is the big gap of perception on the same issue between China and Norway, and between developing and developed countries in general. Why? And how should one view China?

To assess something in an objective light is not easy. It requires complete and truthful information and an objective and dialectical approach. Regrettably, due to embedded prejudice, many people tend to prefer negative information about China. But this does not help them gain an objective understanding of China. Nor will it help Norway pursue its interests in China.

A developing country

China is a developing country with a 5000-year civilization. It has 1.3 billion people and 56 ethnic groups. It is also a big country that is undergoing fast development and reform. It is not easy even for the Chinese ourselves to have an objective, profound and genuine understanding of our own country. Yet we know that neither self-belittling nor self-conceit is the right approach.

Everyone in China is excited about what the country has achieved over the past 61 years since the founding of the People’s Republic, especially since the start of reform and opening-up more than 30 years ago. Compared with the year 1949 when the People’s Republic was founded, illiteracy rate in China has gone down from 80% to 3.6%; average life expectancy has increased from less than 35 years to 73 years; basic medical insurance has grown from literally zero to cover 1.2 billion people; urbanization ratio has risen from 10.6% to 45.7%; and the Chinese economy has been growing at an annual average of 10% from the past three decades.

People's right to subsistence

This being said, we know full well the many difficulties and challenges facing us. China’s capita GDP is just a bit over 3,700 dollars, only 5% that of Norway. Villagers in some remote mountains still have no access to electricity or even safe drinking water. Whatever halo is over our heads, we know that China is still in the primary stage of development, and the priority of our endeavor to promote human rights is still to improve people’s right to subsistence and development.

To those who question or disprove China’s political system, let me ask the following questions: Is it possible for a country’s social and economic development to succeed without the support of the political system? Isn’t China’s 30 years of reform and opening-up also a process of constant self-denial and self-perfection? How many Norwegians really know what China’s political system is and what goals China is pursuing? Is it appropriate for members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee to show China the path ahead?

Rooted in China's reality and history

As provided for by China’s Constitution, China practices the system of the people’s congresses, the system of autonomy of ethnic minority regions, the system of self-management at the grass-roots level and the system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation with the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Such is China’s political system, the guarantee of the country’s remarkable social and economic achievements.

The political philosophy of a country is rooted in the country’s reality and history. It is not something that can be transplanted. The political system of a country can only be based on the country’s choice of history and its social and economic reality. The ultimate criterion in judging whether a political system is effective or its reform is lagging behind is to see if such a political system meets the demand of the development of productive forces and the changing circumstances of the economic foundation.

Undoubtedly successful

Measured by if it guarantees state stability, improves people’s livelihood, solves social problems and enjoys popular support, China’s system is undoubtedly successful. If the political system of the West is taken as the only model and yardstick, then no matter what China does, as long as it does not follow the path of the West, China will, to some, be an alien, not up to standard, lagging behind.

China is moving on a path never traveled before. We have gone through various setbacks and tests. Nonetheless, we have always put our people first and have pursued the goal of achieving comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development. We have endeavored to improve people’s livelihood and promote social equity and justice so that people of all ethnic groups in China can share the fruits of reform and opening-up. Mr. Deng Xiaoping made us realize that practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. It is precisely with such a strong conviction that we in China have successfully reached where we are today in the historic process of reform and opening-up.

Cannot be exported

As the Western saying goes, “All roads lead to Rome”. In a world of diversity, there is no such thing as “the only right path”. The popular conviction of the Chinese people is that our path should be based on our national conditions and rooted in reality. China’s experience cannot be exported. By the same token, not all Western experience will suit China.

Of course, this does not mean that China should stop drawing upon the useful experience of the West. We will continue to learn from all the good experience and best practices in the world that suit and help China’s development. At the same time, we will explore new forms and ways to meet the demand of China’s continued development and the development of political civilization in the world.

A changing era

We are living in a rapidly changing era of globalization. People need to know, understand and respect each other with an open and inclusive mind. The Norwegian people are a people of courage and they dare to pursue the truth. In fact, Norway was one of the first countries in the West to break free from the Cold War mentality and recognize the People’s Republic of China. I believe more and more people will take a cool-headed approach and view China and its development in an objective light.

Confucius once said that “in a group of three people, I will find a teacher.” As China moves on in the historic process of development, we stand ready to engage in equal exchanges with the rest of the world and we are open to well-intended and constructive criticism from the outside for the purpose of common progress. However, to those who are used to the mindset that “in a group of three people, I must be the teacher”, who attempt to undermine China’s stability and development through so-called “criticism”, the only thing we will say is “No, thank you.”