Wang Guoqing, spokesperson of the Fourth Session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body, shared his insights on China at a press conference on March 2, one day ahead of the annual session beginning Thursday.

Wang Guoqing, new spokesman of China's top meeting of political advisors.[Photo/China.org.cn]

It was the first time Wang took the post and answered reporters' questions.

When answering a question of how to tell a good Chinese story, Wang said, "I remember a story about the East Asian Department in America's Columbia University, which is very famous for Chinese studies. However, few knew that the predecessor of the East Asian Department was initiated and donated by a Chinese laborer. This was the first Chinese department ever in an American university. Of course, his donation was not very large. His name was Dean Lung. This was more than 110 years ago. Why did he suggest such a thing? He said he would love to help Americans better understand China and Chinese culture and he donated his life savings, roughly US$12,000, to the university in support of Chinese studies. His story was very moving for me," Wang said.

"Helping the world better understand China, especially the recent changes and developments, is still a very tough task," he continued. "How can we tell a good Chinese story? First, you have to have sufficient confidence to reveal China's development, as history and practice have proved the path we chose is right. Second, you have to adapt to the international language system and tell a story in an international fashion to help everyone understand. Everyone of us should have the sense of responsibility to tell Chinese stories, because every word, action and behavior of yours is an interpretation of Chinese stories."

In response to the skepticism of the foreign media regarding international cooperation on production capacity, Wang said, "The members of the CPPCC have conducted various surveys on the subject, and many cases and examples have shown that in facing difficult situations, as the world economy is trying hard to recover, all the countries must work together and continue to expand the confluent aspects of interest. When Chinese high-quality and cheap equipment goes abroad, it will either help us overcome the economic downturn pressure and expand development, or help other relevant countries to speed up development and improve employment situations.

"Last September, the Chinese Economic and Social Council, under the leadership of the CPPCC, took part in a summit forum on China-ASEAN production capacity held in Jakarta. All the delegates who spoke at the forum thought that both China and ASEAN must work together regarding production capacity, as they have a good cooperative foundation and big potential, which will help boost the structural transformation of ASEAN countries' economies and industrial upgrading, as well as promote economic integration and development. Now, China has signed a cooperation agreement towards international cooperation on production capacity with Kazakhstan, Egypt and more than ten other countries, worth more than US$24 billion."

Wang shared another story about the Hydatid disease in various ethnic regions when answering questions about poverty-alleviation work.

"Have you ever heard of the Hydatid disease? This is a common parasitic disease shared by human and animals in cold, drought stricken farming areas. As the rates of infection and death are relatively high, the disease is also called 'worm cancer.' This kind of disease is a big public health issue to obstruct local economic development. Some families become poor after family members are infected. Last year, the CPPCC organized its members to go to the provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, Xinjiang and Ningxia to conduct surveys and research this matter. The CPPCC members came to the pasturing areas to eat and drink with herdsmen, and went to hospitals to visit patients. The local people were moved."

He added, "Only when you do in-depth research like this, can you grasp the real situation. After the surveys, their opinions and suggestions were paid great attention to by relevant government departments. The prevention of disease has been listed in significant national programs, and the pilot prevention stations have been initiated. This story indicates that the CPPCC can do so much work creating targeted measures toward poverty alleviation."

Having long engaged in publicity work, and as a former, veteran reporter, Wang has always been a good storyteller and has been thinking about how to use international languages to tell the story of China's development. "As the CPPCC spokesperson, I am telling the story of China's development not only to the Chinese people, but also to the world," he said in a previous interview, adding "I hope that, through answering reporters' questions, I can give the world a true vision of China."

After the press conference, Wang humbly rated his performance with the score of 60/100, a score just past the first "examination" of his new job. "There are still many more questions I have no time to address," he said.

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