China's modernization has been an epic journey over past decades. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China has become an attractive destination for many foreigners. Many such expats in the country have fulfilled their career aspirations, while some have found love and started families in China.
Why do they choose to live in China? How do expats in China view and interpret China's achievements and persistence as measured from various perspectives? The Global Times interviewed multiple international residents in China from all walks of life, some of whom have made tangible contributions to China's development, to learn about their understanding of the essence of Chinese culture, and gain an insight into how far China has advanced in its pursuit of development and rejuvenation over the last decade.
When a reporter from the Global Times first met Jake Lee Pinnick at his office at the foot of the Wudang Mountains in Shiyan city, Central China's Hubei Province, she was surprised by the American's fluent Putonghua tinged with a distinct Hubei accent and his traditional Chinese aesthetic.
Dressed in a dark blue Taoist with a black cloth bag and several long bags containing dongxiao and chiba - two kinds of traditional vertical Chinese bamboo flutes - Pinnick said that wherever he goes, he is always clad in a Taoist uniform and carries along a dongxiao for practice.
In 2010, Pinnick moved all the way to Wudang from the US when he was just 20 years old. Since then, he has formed a deep connection with Wudang, martial arts, and traditional Chinese culture.
In over a decade living in Wudang, not only did he become one of the many foreign disciples of Wudang martial arts, but also worked as a foreign teacher of Wudang martial arts and ambassador of traditional Chinese culture and Taoism. In total, he has taught over 500 in-person and thousands of online students around the world, and has over 600 thousand followers across all of his Chinese social media accounts.
He told the Global Times that Wudang has now become a second home, where he found himself, his family, his life, and life-long career. Martial arts and traditional Chinese culture, he said, are where his "lifetime passion" settled, and that martial arts and maintaining a peaceful mind are practices worth pursuing.
Destiny with Wudang
Having grown up in the 1990s in Kewanee, Illinois, a period of time when Chinese martial arts-themed movies were popular overseas, young Pinnick was attracted by martial arts moves in movies such as The Karate Kid, which paved the way for his decision years later to move to China to formally train in Chinese martial arts.
In 2010, Pinnick, then a college student contemplating the true purpose and meaning of life, was attracted by a video on YouTube in which a Chinese martial arts master was performing martial arts in Yuxu Palace at the foot of the Wudang Mountains. He later decided to temporarily suspend his studies and move to China, finding the master and learning martial arts.
"I thought that no matter what kind of job or lifestyle I want to have, firstly I need to be healthy and have a long healthy life. I thought that learning martial arts is really a great practice that will keep me healthy into old age, and it's also something that will challenge me," Pinnick recalled to the Global Times.
In Wudang, he found his Shifu (master) - Yuan Xiugang and started a five-year-long traditional martial arts training program, which was also Yuan's first ever five-year traditional martial arts training program open to international students.
Now Pinnick is a 16th generation disciple of the Zhang Sanfeng Lineage of Wudang martial arts under his tutelage, a 15th generation disciple. Zhang Sanfeng was a legendary Taoist priest who is believed to have been the founder of tai chi in ancient China's Song Dynasty (960-1279).
However, to be a Zhang Sanfeng disciple is not an easy task. Pinnick said that the first six months were the hardest time in his learning process. He had to train for eight or nine hours a day, six days a week, no matter the weather. With no prior martial arts experience, he not only had to overcome the challenges of physical flexibility, but also needed to adapt to the Chinese diet.
Apart from learning martial arts, to be a qualified disciple, Pinnick also learned tai chi, qigong, meditation, and Taoist music and philosophy, as these practices and wealth of knowledge were also parts of the training, but were more about self-cultivation and self-control.
He said that martial arts have guided him out of his confusion regarding the direction that life takes, also helped him to better understand himself and how to care his families and community.
Charm of Chinese philosophy
After graduation, Pinnick chose to stay in Wudang and became a foreign teacher of martial arts, helping his master to teach trainees at the school. He also helped run the English language website of the school, answering questions from global martial arts enthusiasts.
He said that he has returned to the US for short stints, but even during his stay in his home country, he maintained a Chinese lifestyle and kept learning and practicing martial arts every day. After feeling that there were still lots of things he had not learned about Taoism and Chinese culture, he chose to return to China in 2018.
Currently, he teaches practitioners from all over the world online. After the pandemic, he is expected to have more in-person classes for students who come to Wudang. Over the last several years, it is roughly estimated that he has enrolled more than 500 foreign students and thousands of online overseas students, according to media.
After more than 10 years of study and living in Wudang, Pinnick is very familiar with the landscape and ancient architecture of the Wudang Mountains, such as the Nanyan Palace. He is also married to a Chinese woman, and the couple have a beautiful daughter.
As a martial arts disciple Wudang martial arts and culture, he said that promoting Wudang martial arts and culture is his inescapable mission and responsibility.
With the help of his wife Cao Lingling, Pinnick has recorded many short videos about his daily life and that of his family, which includes practicing martial arts, teaching his students, and playing the dongxiao, posting them on both Chinese and foreign social media platforms. Now he has over 600 thousand followers across all his social media accounts, attracting many foreign martial arts enthusiasts and traditional Chinese cultural learners.
He told the Global Times that martial arts and dongxiao are the best ways for him to calm down and get closer to Taoism no matter where he is. Therefore, wherever he goes, he will always take the dongxiao with him.
Additionally, he is also interested in classic Chinese texts such as the Tao Te Ching. In Pinnick's office, the Global Times reporter saw at least four versions of the Tao Te Ching, some with pinyin inscriptions on them. Pinnick said that he is exploring ways to explain these texts using simple language for foreign learners so as to let more people around the world experience the charm of Chinese philosophy.
"For me, Wudang is just like my second home. I came to Wudang from a completely different world, but I do feel like I have found myself here, and found my family and life here. To this day, everything in my life is centered around Wudang," Pinnick said.
"I have the pleasure of living here and continue my journey. It has been a great experience that I wouldn't trade for anything," he said.
In the future, Pinnick said he wants to open a martial arts school in China or in the US, to teach more people around the world about real martial arts and traditional Chinese culture, and to be a bridge between cultures.
Henry Kissinger, the eminent diplomat and strategist, played a pivotal role in shaping China-US relations as he spearheaded the historic normalization process between the two countries, fostering dialogue and paving the way for diplomatic engagement that continues to shape the global landscape today. To this day today, the centenarian continues to advocate for cooperation and peace, lending his voice to global issues and emphasizing the importance of collaborative solutions that transcend borders. What legacy did Kissinger wish to leave behind? What are the differences between Kissinger and current US diplomats? Will there be another Kissinger in the US? Global Times reporters Xie Wenting and Bai Yunyi (GT) spoke with Prof. Thomas A. Schwartz, a renowned academician and author of Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography, on these and other issues of importance.
GT: What initially inspired you to write a biography about Henry Kissinger? During your interaction with him, what about him impressed you most?
Schwartz: Back then, a publisher in the US approached me about the idea of writing a biography of someone whose life experience and work could tell the story of American foreign relations in the 20th century. He asked me to suggest someone. And the person that came to mind was Henry Kissinger. Henry Kissinger has had an extraordinarily long career by any stretch of the imagination. He first came to notice in the US in the 1950s. He was then already writing books on major questions. Being a German Jew who was expelled from Germany, he later returned and actively engaged with the country during the war, even serving as a US soldier at that time. His experience captures something of the US' own role in the world, particularly both in Europe and then in Asia as well. I thought that his biography would be a way to teach my students about the US' role in world affairs.
I had the chance to meet with him to discuss the book. He was very witty, and has a very good sense of humor. He could also be very combative if you ask him questions. And if he doesn't agree with the premise of your question, he'd go right back at you. Even at this age, he is extraordinarily sharp and aware of issues. So it was a very impressive meeting.
It was not that easy because he did not want to talk about some issues. We ended up probably having a very good discussion about soccer, which is one of Kissinger's passions. But we also talked about US foreign policy and I found him very impressive. And it certainly was fun to meet him and to see someone who is as brilliant and interesting as he is.
GT: Henry Kissinger has made great efforts to push forward the normalization of China-US relations. Is there still room for the restoration of China-US relations, both in US political circles and among the general public, despite the current low point in bilateral relations?
Schwartz: Not only do I believe it is necessary, but I believe it is absolutely essential that space be found. Kissinger wrote a famous book called On China, and in that book, he quoted a German philosopher who said that peace would come, either because people became more insightful and rational and realized peace was necessary, or because there was so much destruction and war, peace was the only choice.
I think in a way, the US and China have to find a workable relationship. They are two powerful nations and a conflict or war is both so unthinkable and terrible.
Right now, relations are very bad, but I believe that both countries are unlike in the Cold War era when the Soviet Union and the US were distinctly separate. They did not engage in significant trade, investment, or international visits. Their peoples had little knowledge of each other. The US and China have been very intertwined economically and in political developments over the last 30 years. They have a lot of linkages and connections. So there has to be an effort to overcome some of the differences between the two countries or at least recognition that those differences can be managed and that they are not reasons for direct conflict.
In that sense, what Kissinger talked about and what he hoped for with China is, clearly, that relations need to be restored.
GT: As a historian, how do you predict the development of China-US relations in the coming decades? How do you evaluate the possibility of a war or a military conflict between the two countries?
Schwartz: Certainly, there is the possibility of conflict because the US and China have very different underpinnings in their governmental apparatus. They have very different philosophical notions. Both countries, in a way, consider themselves exceptional. This is something Kissinger said in his book On China, that both countries have a view of themselves as exceptional civilizations. The US has seen itself as a model for the world and has tried to export its system of government and society. China has seen itself as a superior civilization that, in many respects, should be a model for the world as well.
But the basic fact that both see themselves that way does not automatically mean they have to come into conflict. I do think there are some very difficult issues between the two countries, particularly on the Taiwan question and human rights and other issues.
But I think almost all of them could be resolved without conflict. I think an intelligent understanding and a perpetuation of dialogue are crucial. When Kissinger was in office, he began the process of setting up consultations with Chinese leaders. The great thing about Kissinger over the course of his 50 years of his involvement with China was that he was an intermediary between China and the US government. He has carried messages to Chinese leaders from the US and carried them back to American presidents. We need more figures who are in that realm of communicating between the two countries. And we need to have a whole range of institutional dialogues between government, military, and economic officials, so that there is a constant understanding.
But I would agree that as a historian, I could also predict a war, because countries that are powerful often do come into conflict. But I think given the nature of modern weapons and the types of things that can happen to societies in warfare, we have to do everything in our power to avoid such conflict.
GT: What do you think the biggest difference between American diplomats today and Henry Kissinger is?
Schwartz: I think the difference today is a lot of our diplomats have relatively little sense of the broader range of history. Kissinger had a sense from history that terrible things can happen. And I think American diplomats today sometimes don't recognize the degree of danger that can come from careless diplomacy.
In this sense, Kissinger always had a sense that you needed to be extraordinarily careful in undertaking diplomatic tests, and that you should not treat disputes between nations lightly. There is a tendency to think of short-term advantages instead of long-term interests. I think Kissinger had a broader and a longer term sense, partly because he was thinking as a historian, or as someone who has a vision of a longer period.
GT: How did Henry Kissinger's ideas and strategies continue to shape subsequent US administrations in their policies toward China?
Schwartz: The interesting thing is that even though Kissinger left office in 1977, he continued to be a very influential figure. And his ties to China made him an intermediary so that he played a role in the normalization of relations under then president Carter.
When Ronald Reagan came into office, Reagan had been a traditional backer of Taiwan. And Kissinger convinced Reagan, and I think he also convinced the people around Reagan that the US had to accept the one-China policy of the Shanghai Communiqué and that it needed to understand the importance that China had now in American diplomacy.
Kissinger was very instrumental in the fact that the first Communist country that Ronald Reagan visited was China in 1984. He went to China before he went to the Soviet Union. Kissinger has been a sort of intermediary all the way through. He encouraged the US and China to carry out high-level dialogues to understand each other as effectively as they can. I don't think in recent years, that has been the case. What we probably need now are diplomats of a similar type to carry out this policy now. But Kissinger influenced US policy toward China all the way through the Obama administration.
GT: How do you evaluate the lasting influence of Henry Kissinger on the Biden administration? To what extent have his opinions been heard and heeded by this administration?
Schwartz: Obviously, Kissinger has a certain influence. The fact that his opinion is out there is something that political leaders look to, but you're quite right whether they listen to him or not is not always there. I think former president Trump, for example, talked to Kissinger, but did not necessarily listen to him on China. It is the case that there are often other influences, both political and otherwise, affecting things.
I think the legacy of Henry Kissinger is the idea that it is vitally important that the US and China cooperate and compete together, that they understand that they will not always be on the same page, but they also recognize their responsibility as great powers toward maintaining the stability of the global order and maintaining the peace.
In that sense, Kissinger, for example, was very encouraged by China's efforts to bring peace in Europe now, between Russia and Ukraine. So Kissinger was encouraging China to undertake initiatives in that realm. That is the type of influence that he still has, that he is encouraging the idea that the US and China should work together to try to bring peace and stability.
GT: What experience and insights from Henry Kissinger should the current US administration learn from?
Schwartz: I believe they can draw from Kissinger's experience the idea of the importance of consultation, dialogue, and maintaining open communication through constant interaction. Additionally, it is crucial for the US to clearly recognize China as a great power. Furthermore, the US should be direct with China regarding the issues it cares about. That would be the legacy or what the Biden administration could learn.
To a certain extent, the fact that Secretary of State Antony Blinken went to China just recently to meet with Chinese leaders indicates the influence of Kissinger in encouraging the Biden administration to try to improve relations.
That's sometimes difficult with the current political situation. But I think there is an effort on the part of the Biden administration now to reopen some of the channels that have been closed off with China. That's something that I think Kissinger certainly encouraged.
GT: Did you talk about the prospect of a war or a military conflict between the US and China with Henry Kissinger? What's his take on it?
Schwartz: Henry Kissinger has said that China and the US are in the foothills of a possible conflict. And I think by saying this, he means that because relations have deteriorated, there is a danger of there being a misunderstanding.
Kissinger sees a parallel between the situation of the US and China now with the situation of the Great Britain and Germany before WWI. The two countries, Great Britain and Germany, before WWI, were very much linked economically. They did a lot of trade with each other. There was a lot of contact between the two, but they misunderstood each other. The British thought the Germans were out to dominate Europe. The Germans were convinced that the British were trying to prevent them from being recognized as a great power. And they managed to feed this misunderstanding until they went to war. I think Kissinger worries that the US has decided that China is its number one enemy, and China has decided the US is its enemy. This is a dangerous situation.
So I think his feelings are that the two countries have to work to take away this enemy image and recognize that they can be both cooperative and competitive. There doesn't need to be a new cold war; there doesn't need to be a real conflict between them, and they can negotiate their interests.
While he tends toward being pessimistic in the sense that he does fear these things, he also insists and argues that the two countries can overcome this if there is a will on both sides to do so.
GT: Some people said that troubled times call for another Henry Kissinger. Do you think there will be another Kissinger who knows China well and advocates for cooperation in the US?
Schwartz: I don't think there will be another Henry Kissinger. I think what there needs to be is a lot of people similar to Kissinger. There needs to be a lot of Americans and a lot of Chinese people who have an understanding of and appreciation for each other's history and culture, and that are communicating with each other. I think the role of Kissinger is not going to be repeated. Kissinger was a unique figure in a particularly unique time. What is really needed is the type of understanding of China that he brought into US governance and that needs to be more widely disseminated within the US government so that there are more people in our military, our intelligence community, and our diplomatic community who appreciate and understand the issues between the US and China. Hopefully, on the Chinese side, there are also people who appreciate, understand, and recognize some of the issues from the US side.
But honestly, I don't think there's another Kissinger in line in any real sense. I don't think that's likely in the American political system these days. Kissinger really was in a very unique time and circumstance.
GT: Do you believe that the current social environment in the US is conductive to producing more diplomats similar to Henry Kissinger, given the highly tense relationship between China and the US?
Schwartz: I think it's difficult. But when I teach students at the Vanderbilt University and deal with students from other schools, I know that among American young people, there is recognition that the world is changing and that the US needs intelligent diplomats who can recognize these problems and negotiate with other countries. I'm not pessimistic on that ground. I think it's possible.
The real difficulty, I see, is in our broader political environment, to allow such people to have that influence. I think your question certainly pointed at the issue that our political environment is now so polarized and negative, and it's hard for people with constructive ideas about diplomacy and peace to be in positions of power. It tends to reward demagogues and people who are exaggerating or harboring an enemy image for their political purposes.
But I do think there are people available. I'm hoping that the political environment will get better, perhaps after the next election. I think it is possible that we will get better. But I do understand the idea that it might not go that way, and this is one of the dangers we face.
GT: What is the legacy that Henry Kissinger personally wants to pass down to future generations?
Schwartz: What I think he personally wants to pass down is he wants to convince Americans of the importance of promoting and encouraging a stable world environment and the importance of understanding the complexity of international relations, and not to see international relations in black and white terms. He advocates for recognizing a greater complexity and striving for a type of stability and order in the world, as well as recognizing our responsibility to promote stability and order and good relations with other countries.
In that sense, it is important to get out of our own internal problems and environment and to see a broader vision. I think Kissinger hopes that Americans will have a broader historical vision of world stability and a broader understanding of other countries. I think he would like that to be his legacy: A better understanding of the world and of other countries, and of the need for effective diplomacy to maintain peace.
I think sometimes he worries that Americans are not interested enough in foreign policy and diplomacy. They're too concerned with their own problems. And for that reason, they're not going to be effective in dealing with other nations and in promoting a peaceful world order. I think he would like his legacy to be one of encouraging Americans to work for world order and peace.
The Argentine Consulate General in Hong Kong held the Argentina National Day Reception, on July 19. Argentine Ambassador to China Sabino Vaca Narvaja delivered a speech at the ceremony in which he said, "I looked forward to keeping close relations with the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and jointly boosting global development in the next 50 years."
Narvaja said that Argentina could further explore changes between the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao in the areas of trade, investment, infrastructure, mineral resources, as well as culture, tourism and sports based on the current bilateral relations between China and Argentina and prospects for future cooperation.
During Argentine President Alberto Fernandez's visit to China in February 2022 with the occasion of commemorating the 15th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, China and Argentina signed a memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative.
"Argentina and Hong Kong have strong economic complementarities, and Hong Kong has played an important bridging role in the cooperative relationship between China and Argentina," Consul General of Argentina in Hong Kong Gonzalo Javier Sabate said.
Representatives from Hong Kong's performing arts community attending the reception hoped that more Argentine artists would participate in projects featuring Hong Kong's diverse society and culture in the future.
The 58th National Day of the Republic of Singapore and Singapore Armed Forces Day was held on August 4 in Beijing. Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong attended the event and talked about China-Singapore relations with the Singaporean Ambassador to China Tan Hai Chuan. Tan expressed hopes to further enhance the bilateral relations between China and Singapore.
"Singapore and China have a long history of fruitful collaboration. And I hope that the two sides can strengthen cooperation in areas such as digitalization, financial technology, the green economy, and biotechnology," Tan said.
He believes that by sharing experiences and strengthening exchanges, the two countries can benefit and contribute to regional stability and prosperity.
In his speech, Tan encapsulated the key factors of the Singapore-China friendly relationship, namely cultural diversity, mutual respect, sincerity and friendship, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, seeking common ground while preserving differences, and common development.
The Consulate General of Singapore in Xiamen, Fujian Province also organized a National Day Reception to celebrate the 58th National Day. Nelson Ng Chiun Ming, consul general of Singapore in Xiamen, said that China has been Singapore's largest trading partner since 2013.
As part of the important efforts to be made in combating desertification, the China-Arab International Research Center for Drought, Desertification, and Land Degradation's establishment was agreed upon at the Ninth Kubuqi International Desert Forum on Saturday.
Government representatives in attendance at the meeting signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on building the center and launched the first batch of collaborative projects, including the Greening of the Upgrading Projects for Saudi New Cites and Exporting Knowhow to other Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, and Saudi 10 billion Trees and Shrubs Nursery, Plantation, and Eco-Solar Desert Control Engineering Projects.
Participants at the forum, including representatives from UN agencies, foreign political figures, and leaders from relevant ministries and commissions said that China's desertification control has achieved continuous improvement in the ecological and economic conditions of sandy areas and provided China's plan for global desertification control.
"I had the privilege of visiting the extraordinary landscapes of the Ordos region. I witnessed firsthand the remarkable socioeconomic and ecological restoration, an inspiring example for the regions around the world, struggling against land degradation, desiccation, and decimation," Amina Mohamed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, said at the forum.
Mahmoud Fathallah, director of the Department of Environmental and Meteorology Affairs of the League of Arab States, pointed out that the output of science research is important to combat desertification, in which case China has excellent experience. The Arab League is trying to work with China to allow research institutions in Arab countries to further exchange experiences with Chinese researchers.
China is one of the leading countries in desertification control and dust storm reduction, and the country also has a wide range of technologies that can be exemplars for Mongolia and the rest of the world, said Zoljargal Sainbuyan, senior international cooperation officer for Mongolia's National Forest Agency. By working with other countries, China is helping to solve regional problems facing many developing countries, such as desertification and climate change, the official said.
China is the first country in the world to realize the "zero growth" of land degradation, and the "double reduction" of desertified and sandy lands, which continues to positively contribute toward achieving the global goal of zero growth in land degradation by 2030.
International figures have said that China attaches great importance to desertification control and sand prevention and treatment, and has accumulated rich experience in the process, as well as industrial advantages in technology, materials, and equipment, setting up an international model of ecological management.
The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR), a landmark project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is undergoing intensive joint commissioning and testing, paving the way for commercial operations scheduled to begin soon this year.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang aboard a bullet train during a trial run on Wednesday during his official trip to the ASEAN summit in Indonesia from September 5 to 7, Reuters reported.
The Jakarta-Bandung HSR is the first high-speed railway line in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, connecting Indonesia's most densely populated areas.
As the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway line is set to open, Global Times reporters Hu Yuwei and Zhao Juecheng (GT) interviewed the Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lu Kang (Lu), who is also a former spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Lu believed that the Jakarta-Bandung HSR will bring tangible benefits to Indonesia, while expecting the project to become a new growth point and create a high-speed railway economic corridor. He argued that the consensus reached by the heads of China and Indonesia further illuminates the direction to be taken and injects strong momentum into future relations. China supports Indonesia's chairmanship of ASEAN and is willing to deepen comprehensive strategic partnerships with ASEAN members.
GT: What changes will the Jakarta-Bandung HSR bring to Indonesia? What are local people's expectations?
Lu: The opening of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR will bring many tangible benefits to Indonesia such as more efficient travel conditions. The travel time from Jakarta to Bandung will be reduced from three and a half hour to just 40 minutes, effectively alleviating commuting traffic pressure between the two cities.
In the long run, the project will further boost investment and create employment opportunities for the people, and drive commercial development and tourism along the route. It may even become a new growth point, accelerating the formation of a high-speed railway economic corridor.
On June 22, I was invited to take a trial ride on the train together with Indonesia's Coordinator for Cooperation with China and Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, and president of railway operator China State Railway Group Liu Zhenfang. During the trial ride, the train reached a speed of over 355 kilometers per hour, surpassing the current fastest commercial speed of any high-speed railway in the world, which amazed our Indonesian friends and earned praise for Chinese-made high-speed railway technology.
On that day, I also noticed that many locals were watching the train along the way. I was told that Indonesian people take videos of the passing trains along the high-speed railway every day, which reflects their high expectations for the project.
GT: The construction of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR marks the first all-round implementation of Chinese high-speed railway technology abroad, from the whole system and all of its elements, to the whole industrial chain. Does it mean a big step for China's high-speed railway manufacturing going global?
Lu: The Jakarta-Bandung HSR vividly embodies the concept of "extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits" under the BRI framework and has important reference significance for us to carry out other similar projects.
The successful completion of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR directly proves that Chinese manufacturing technology is mature, efficient, internationally standardized, adaptable to local environments, and actively integrated into the development plans of the host country. This will greatly facilitate China's manufacturing going global and inspire developing countries to have confidence in pursuing development paths that suit their own national conditions.
GT: According to your observations how has the BRI benefited livelihoods and brought tangible benefits to the Indonesian people?
Lu: Taking infrastructure connectivity as an example, since the proposal of the BRI, China and Indonesia have cooperated to build a number of high-quality projects, covering areas such as power plants, roads and bridges, dams, and telecommunication networks, making positive contributions to Indonesia's passion to become a traffic hub.
A series of iconic projects have been completed, such as the Suramadu Bridge, the longest sea-crossing bridge in Southeast Asia, the Tayan Bridge, the longest corbeled stone-arch bridge in Indonesia, and the Jatigede Dam, the second-largest dam in Indonesia, bringing convenience to the local populations.
Chinese-funded enterprises in Indonesia have not only provided a large number of job opportunities for the locals but also contributed to the development of local livelihoods through knowledge and technology sharing. Taking the Jakarta-Bandung HSR as an example, over 75 percent of the services and procurement for the project are sourced locally in Indonesia, significantly boosting the local supply chain and employment. It is estimated that the project will create 30,000 job opportunities in Indonesia.
GT: Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo On July 27 in Chengdu when Widodo visited China. How do you evaluate the achievements of President Widodo's visit to China this time?
Lu: This is the third face-to-face meeting between the two heads of state within a year, which reflects the high level and special nature of China-Indonesia relations. As President Xi said, on the path to national modernization and rejuvenation, China and Indonesia share highly aligned visions and present opportunities for each other's development, are like-minded companions, and good partners.
This further clears the direction and injects strong momentum into the future friendship between China and Indonesia. After the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of multiple bilateral cooperation agreements, including agricultural product exports to China, health cooperation, joint research and development, as well as the construction of the new Indonesian capital and the "Two Countries, Twin Parks" project, achieving significant practical results.
GT: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI and the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Indonesia. We have noticed that President Widodo's "Global Maritime Fulcrum (GMF)" strategy resonates with China's 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative. How do you envision future cooperation between China and Indonesia with synergy of strategies?
Lu: In November 2022, Chinese President Xi and Indonesian President Widodo reached an important consensus on building a community of shared future between China and Indonesia. They agreed to take the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Indonesia in 2023 as an opportunity to create a new pattern of high-level cooperation.
The two sides signed a cooperation plan under the framework of aligning the BRI with the GMF concept, and significant progress has been made in its implementation. The Jakarta-Bandung HSR is one of the flagship projects.
In July this year, the two heads of state met again in Chengdu and reached an important consensus on deepening strategic cooperation between China and Indonesia.
We will take the 10th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and the first year of the China-Indonesia community of shared future as a chance to promote deeper and higher-level strategic cooperation between the two sides, injecting more certainty and positive energy into the region and the world.
GT: How do you evaluate the current level of cooperation between China and Indonesia in the fields of economy, trade, and investment? What suggestions do you have for further enhancing bilateral economic and trade cooperation?
Lu: In recent years, with the comprehensive integration of the BRI and Indonesia's GMF, China-Indonesia economic and trade cooperation has achieved fruitful results. China has been Indonesia's largest trading partner for 10 consecutive years. In 2022, the bilateral trade volume between China and Indonesia reached $149.1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 20.16 percent. Investment cooperation is also a highlight of the two countries' economic and trade cooperation. In 2022, the Chinese mainland's investment in Indonesia reached $8.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 156.25 percent, maintaining its position as the second-largest foreign investor in Indonesia.
According to the consensus reached by both sides earlier this year, China is willing to further expand the importation of Indonesian bulk commodities and high-quality agricultural and fishery products according to market demand.
The Chinese government encourages its enterprises to invest in Indonesia and expand cooperation in infrastructure, green development, the digital economy, healthcare, and other fields. We aim to create highlights in maritime cooperation and promote the resumption of fisheries cooperation.
GT: In the current tense geopolitical situation, ASEAN members have become objects of competition for major powers. Indonesia is the key member of the ASEAN. How can China-Indonesia cooperation better deal with geopolitics challenges and achieve long-term stability?
Lu: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and the 20th anniversary of China's accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. As President Xi once said, the Asia-Pacific is no one's backyard and should not become an arena for big power contests and no attempt to wage a new cold war will ever be allowed by the people or by our times. This is the inevitable requirement for maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and the common wishes of people in the ASEAN and other countries.
One important reason why the ASEAN can maintain its central position in the regional architecture is its long-standing commitment to independence, non-alignment, and neutrality. The ASEAN has repeatedly stated that it will adhere to openness, inclusiveness, dialogue, and cooperation, and focus on economic development without aligning with or targeting any party.
In the process of achieving national modernization and rejuvenation, China and Indonesia have highly compatible ideas that present mutually beneficial development opportunities. They are like-minded partners and good companions.
China supports Indonesia's role as the rotating chair of the ASEAN this year and is willing to deepen comprehensive strategic partnerships with ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, and jointly create a positive energy.
GT: Shortly after taking office as Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia in 2022, you opened a Twitter account. Do you have any interesting or memorable stories to share with us about your interactions with locals on social media?
Lu: Since opening my Twitter account over a year ago, I have been able to interact closely with Indonesian and global netizens through this platform, and I am deeply impressed by their interest in China.
A friend once told me that the Indonesian people seem less interested in politics, but the content I shared on Twitter about President Xi's activities and the interpretation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era have received widespread and positive responses.
In the comments section, many Indonesian netizens have expressed their appreciation, saying that Indonesians like to cooperate with China for development and that cooperation with China is friendly trade, not a command.
Such enthusiastic feedback was unexpected but reasonable. China's wisdom and solutions have made it possible to solve more global issues and inject new energy into global development.
On September 10, tropical storm Daniel - an intense Mediterranean hurricane or "medicane" - made landfall in Libya, causing severe flooding in coastal areas resulting in extensive damage. The city of Derna, which was the hardest hit, has seen at least 20 percent of its infrastructure completely destroyed, and a large number of residents have been swept away by flood waters. On Monday, the Chinese government announced that it would provide 30 million yuan ($ 4.1 million) in emergency humanitarian aid to Libya to assist in the rescue efforts.
Western media outlets have been closely following the severe flooding in the North African nation, but many attributed it to climate change and the internal political turmoil in the country. However, experts have pointed out that such summations fail to recognize the real "culprit" behind the internal division and turmoil in Libya - Western forces, led by the US.
Twelve years ago, Western countries conducted a so-called "humanitarian intervention" in Libya, and left the wounds inflicted on the Libyan people. The resultant scars from the conflict have once again been laid bare for the world to see by the hurricane.
A forgotten city
After making landfall in Libya on September 10, tropical storm Daniel, with fierce winds and sudden heavy rain, caused heavy flash flooding in several northeastern areas of the country, with the coastal city of Derna hardest hit.
The Libyan National Agency for Bridges and Roads said on Monday that 70 percent of infrastructure in the flood-hit areas in eastern Libya was damaged. In addition, 50 percent of the roads in the region were also damaged, with alternative routes opened in disaster areas to allow traffic flow. The storm has, so far, claimed at least 5,500 lives with another 10,000 reported missing, official statistics showed.
Johr Ali, a Libyan reporter, told the BBC that people in Derna are living through "doomsday." Ali said that his entire families had been washed away by the powerful flood waters. He also told the BBC that a friend found his "nephew dead in the street, thrown away by water from his rooftop."
The havoc currently being witnessed in Libya today is in stark contrast to what a Global Times reporter saw in the country more than a decade ago. When the Global Times reporter was in Libya in 2010 and reported on the "Pentapolis of Ancient Greek Colonies" in the Cyrenaica region in the east of the country, Derna was an important stop. Derna was founded over 2,000 years ago and is situated against the backdrop of the Green Mountains, stretching over 100 kilometers along the coast, facing the Mediterranean Sea. Under Roman rule, it served as a populous and religious center in the Cyrenaica region. In modern times, Derna has cemented its place as one of the wealthiest areas in the North Africa.
Due to its unique location at the intersection of the Green Mountains, the sea, and the Sahara Desert, Derna's climate is warm and humid. Following the winding mountain road for dozens of kilometers, a spectacular view of Derna, which looks like a "delta" is revealed, when viewed from the top of the mountain road.
Upon entering the city of Derna, the clean streets and well-planned buildings added a layer of orderly beauty to the city. From the perspective of urban governance, Derna's level of city management surpassed that of the largest eastern city of Benghazi during the era of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
However, the city which was the seat of an ancient civilization was unable to withstand the test of the recent brutal natural disaster. The report published by Yale Climate Connections pointed out that the floods in Libya are a climate and infrastructure catastrophe.
It stated that the catastrophe in Libya is the seventh weather-related disaster to kill at least 500 Africans since 2022, an astonishing 23 percent of Africa's 30 deadliest weather-related disasters since 1900 have occurred in the last two years. This ominous figure could well be a harbinger of the future, as higher levels of vulnerability, a growing population, and more extreme weather events from climate change cause an increase in the occurrence of deadly disasters.
"Libya has been beset by chaos since forces backed by the West's NATO military alliance overthrew long-serving ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011," read the BBC report.
"Since the fall of Gaddafi, Libya has been split between two rival governments and mired in conflict between numerous different militias," it said.
Analysts pointed out that due to the political split in Libya, local officials have little interest in taking care of infrastructure in the country. Derna is now a forgotten ancient city.
The UN-backed Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, governs the western capital city of Tripoli in Libya. In eastern Libya, including the regions which were most impacted by the floods, a rival administration called the House of Representatives holds power. Additionally, it has control over numerous southern areas, primarily consisting of uninhabited desert, according to media reports.
Local official said that the two dams that burst in a storm had been cracked since 1998. Gaddafi's regime once entrusted repair work of the dam to a Turkish company, but the company did not start the work until 2010 due to payment issues. The project halted less than five months after the revolution that led to
Gaddafi's downfall, reported the Straits Times.
According to the report, while every year a budget has been allocated to repair the two dams, "none of the successive governments since 2011 have undertaken the work."
Culpability for the disaster
Analysts pointed out that the West failed to acknowledge culpability for the Libyan disaster. More insidiously, Western powers have tried to spread the narrative that Libyans, or even Arabs and Africans, are inherently incapable of properly running their own affairs.
In the last decade of the Gaddafi regime, the country's economy was robust, while the government increased direct investment into its citizenry with the introduction of foreign investment, the construction of free or cheap housing, and creation of dynamic solutions to unemployment and the housing needs of the country's youth.
"[As for] such a serious disaster, its root and initial cause lies in the US force intervention in Libya's internal affairs, which forcibly overthrew the Gaddafi regime. If the Libyan regime was stable, it would certainly not be so passive in its ability to cope with the flooding, resulting in a large number of lives being lost and property swallowed up by the flooding," AlJab Ala, a columnist for the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram, told the Global Times.
In 2011, the US and other Western countries intervened militarily in Libya and supported the opposition in overthrowing the Gaddafi regime. Since then, Libya has been plunged into a prolonged civil war, and the multinational intervention has led to the emergence of two mutually hostile regimes in the country, where economic development and the development of people's livelihoods have been neglected, along with infrastructure disrepair.
Libya has the largest proven oil reserves in Africa and its economy has long been dependent on the energy sector. Statistics from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative show that Libya's oil production fell from 1.48 million barrels per day to 290,000 barrels per day in the first weeks of the war and to 22,000 barrels per day in July 2011, at the height of the conflict. In addition, Libya's oil fields and pipelines are located in the jurisdictions of different factions and tribes, and the different regions have fought over their interests and even sabotaged and obstructed each other.
Zhang Chuchu, deputy director of the Centre for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times that in Libya's regime reconstruction, Western powers were committed to the implementation of a Western-style democratic system in the country, fostering a pro-Western government, and that this forced system transplantation not only failed to address the equitable distribution of power but also exacerbated the political struggles and social disparities.
Observers noted that economic and political instability has led to the deterioration of security in Libya. At the civilian level, there have been frequent incidents of armed conflict and other forms of vicious violence; at the State regime level, the remnants of the former regime and different factions within the opposition continue to fight for power and profit. In addition, extremist organizations represented by the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have further aggravated social unrest.
In 2014, in the face of the increasingly severe security situation in Libya, Western countries closed their embassies and consulates in Libya in rapid succession and evacuated their countries' nationals. Libya has been in disarray since then, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.
Mired in catastrophic dilemma
"The claim that Washington or Britain cared about the welfare of ordinary Libyans is disproved by a decade of indifference to their plight-culminating in the current suffering in Derna," remarked Monthly Review, an independent US magazine.
Ironically, when the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a mere $1 million in initial humanitarian assistance to Libya shortly after the floods hit, online public opinion criticized the US for being "miserly" in its assistance by focusing only on destruction and not on construction.
Zhang told the Global Times that the US and its led West, in addition to directly and forcefully changing Libya's original political and security order, triggering subsequent turmoil, its ability to shape Libya's new order continues to decline.
Regional competition, however, continues to intensify, placing Libya at a marked disadvantage when measured against its neighbors. Although there has been some progress in Libya's political process, such as the signing of ceasefire agreements, the organizing of talks, and holding of elections, under the active mediation of the United Nations and multiple countries, the country still faces significant challenges.
Zhang believes that Libya's politics, economy, and society have long been mired in a catastrophic dilemma, in which the ideological separation that exists between the East and the West is now tenuous.
"If the eastern and western factions in Libya continue to have the ability and willingness to maintain their own operations under external influence, it will be difficult to discuss national construction and social integration. Therefore, the way forward for Libya lies in simultaneous improvements in both internal and external environments, ultimately leading to an inclusive power structure," she said.
