Special report: World expects more "positive energy" from China in new year
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E-mail Xinhua, January 7, 2013
People from developed and developing nations alike could not neglect China in their New Year wishes for the second-largest economy is closely linked to almost all other countries in a globalized world.
They observed that China has scored eye-catching achievements in the past couple of years in politics, economy, culture and diplomacy. The success was remarkable given that it took place in a volatile international environment as the wealthy West was shaken by economic woes, dragging down global growth.
As people of the world bid farewell to an eventful 2012, they expect China, which has just nailed down its direction for future development at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and unveiled the new CPC leadership, to pour out more "positive energy" in the new year.
FROM WORKSHOP TO GROWTH ENGINE
Julio Rios, a China expert in Spain, said that in the past decade China went through the most transformative period in its modern times, and built itself into the world's second-largest economy.
What's more, the country has laid the foundation for further transformation whose results could benefit future development, Rios added.
"China's developing trend is irreversible," Rio said.
Also expressing optimism about China's future development, Johannes Pflug, chairman of the German-Chinese Parliamentary Friendship Group, said reality has proved that China can achieve the goals it set.
Pflug noted that the Chinese government has pledged to continue its policy of reform and opening up to the outside world, which is crucial to its development.
Manfred Grund, a member of parliament of Germany, said the greatest achievement of the Chinese government in the past decades had been developing effective plans to eliminate poverty, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.
It is a great challenge to improve people's livelihood for a country with a population of 1.3 billion, he said, adding "I respect the achievements made by the Chinese government and the CPC."
He believed that China would continue to develop under the new CPC leadership.
Furthermore, the development of China, which is now the world's biggest manufacturer and exporter and owner of the world's largest amount of foreign exchange reserves, not only benefits its own people but also bears significant influence on world prosperity.
Thomas Cooley of the New York University Stern School of Business said the world depends very heavily on China, Brazil and India,and those are big engines of world economic growth. When those economies are growing, it's good for all.
Nicolas Berggruen, Chairman of the Nicolas Berggruen Institute, an independent think tank, said China is now a big contributor to world economy.
A RESPONSIBLE PLAYER ON WORLD ARENA
China's political clout has been growing alongside its economic power,Pflug observed, adding he believed that the country would continue to play the role of a responsible major power on world arena.
Berggruen, also an expert on good governance, noted that China is becoming a leading force in the Asia-Pacific region where profound changes have been taking place.
As a result, when China outlined its foreign policy at the 18th CPC congress, it drew worldwide attention. World countries were glad to hear the Chinese leadership stress peaceful coexistence and cooperation for win-win results, which showed China knew well that nations are now much intertwined.
Grund, the German member of parliament, said China has always wanted to see a stable international environment, so that it can concentrate on its own development.
He pointed out that the country has played an active and positive role in dealing with global "hotspots" issues such as Libya, Syria and Iran.
Against the backdrop of transformation in global political landscape, countries attach more and more importance to developing ties with China.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his New Year message to Chinese President Hu Jintao, said he was ready to continue joint efforts with the Chinese side to push forward bilateral ties in the new year.
Grund said Germany is China's biggest trading partner in Europe, and that the two countries have carried out very good cooperation in the field of solar energy.
He urged both sides to boost cooperation and dialogue that could benefit bilateral trade.
FROM MYSTERIOUS LAND TO GRASSROOTS TOPIC
China, in the recent couple of years, paid more and more attention to introducing its culture to the outside world. Before that, foreigners knew very little about the vast land, said Rios, the Spanish China hand.
China opened a large number of unofficial Confucius Institutes all over the world to promote Chinese language and culture, he said.
These institutes created unprecedented opportunities for China and other countries to communicate and enhance mutual understanding and mutual trust, he added.
More and more intellectual elite in the world, Berggruen included, have begun to understand that the political system of China should be based on its culture which is several thousand years old and profound and powerful.
The West should pay more respect to the Chinese culture, its path of development, as well as its achievements, Berggruen said.
Furthermore, the Chinese culture, reflected partly by Chinese products and food among others, influences the life of more and more common people overseas. To them, the vast land in the East is no longer mysterious.
Alexander Frolov, headmaster of a Russian school specialized in training Ded Moroz, which literally means Grandfather Frost, the Russian analogue of the Santa Claus, said at New Year's Day that he wishes a lasting friendship between the Russian and Chinese peoples. Endi
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