"China to pursue a policy of peace on its path to development" - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao recently finished his four-nation tour, which included Finland, Britain, Germany and Tajikistan. The first meeting on the agenda was the Asia-Europe Summit (ASEM) held in Helsinki on September 10 and 11.

A group of enthusiastic Chinese residing in Finland welcomed their Premier at the Helsinki airport in an atmosphere full of excitement. Wen warmly greeted his countrymen, eliciting great admiration among the crowd.

In politics, Wen Jiabao is considered a reformist who works for the betterment of the lives of the indigent Chinese population. During the three years he has been in office, Wen has brought about significant advances in the development of the country's rural regions and in environmental protection.

On the other hand, other matters of profound significance, such as the freedom of expression and censorship have not greatly progressed. Other issues of international concern that are continuously brought up in conjunction with China are the country's policy on the death penalty and alleged human rights violations. These topics were also addressed during the ASEM Meeting in Finland.

When faced with the foreign press, Wen followed the same protocol as before where emphasis is given to China's efforts to shake off the status of a developing country and to its desire to be considered a democratic state. These matters were discussed at a special reception held at the Chinese Embassy in Finland on September 11.

The long path towards becoming a developed nation

In a speech held at the Embassy reception, Wen underlined the significance that promoting peaceful international relations has to China's development.

"In order to ensure the peaceful development of our country, we must pursue a policy of peace and reinforce an international atmosphere that helps to foster it. China's path to development will take its time. I made it a point to emphasize these issues in my speeches at the ASEM Summit," said Wen.

During ASEM, Wen unveiled his views on global security, cultural exchanges, globalization, competitiveness, as well as the Korean nuclear program and the situation in the Middle East.

"I have taken into consideration and discussed the viewpoints of other nations and underlined the fact that we must work together to build a harmonious world. After my speech, many world leaders came up to me to express their support for my vision. The Belgian prime minister said that China's promotion of a harmonious world is a cause that is absolutely praiseworthy and that they would stand behind me on this," Wen recalls.

China too kind natured and compliant

In his personal life, Wen Jiabao is known for his fondness for poetry and also for being a man who draws on examples from history.

"Most principles are in fact fairly simple. For nearly a century, China was submitted to Western rule and many Western countries resorted to violent acts to retain control of the country. China, on the other hand, has not endeavored to invade other countries. Instead, the Chinese have always relied on their own efforts - especially over the past thirty years, which has been a period of reforms and opening up. These advances have helped China to attain economic stability and improve the living standards of its citizens, as the current average annual per capita income of USD 2,000 proves. A question that comes to many people’s minds is why a country with an average income level of 2,000 US dollars should be considered a threat? Why is it that a country with an average per capita income of 20,000 or even 30,000 does not pose a greater threat? What we have here is a distorted point of view. In reality, China is too compliant and kind natured," says Wen.

According to Wen Jiabao, China's hope is that the peaceful existence that prevails in the world today will last for a long time. In China, wealth is unevenly distributed and many problems remain to be solved. China's steps towards opening up play a big part in this process.

"Did you happen to notice the playful comment made by Italy's newly elected president to the press that Italy should follow China's example and open its political stage to the outside. I met him yesterday - he is an old friend of mine - and I told him that his words testified of far-reaching thought and that Europe needs more leaders like him who have the capability to look into the future."

When asked about the status of Sino-European relations, Wen recalled his discussions with European leaders.

"During this summit, I have met with leaders from many countries, who have told me that China can rest assured, because we will always retain our friendly relations with your country.”

The Chinese Premier also brought up the importance of mutual respect and equality.

”China needs friends. If we want to be considered an influential and trustworthy nation on the global scene, we cannot categorize countries into small and large ones, strong and weak ones. We should treat everyone equally. We have had our share of oppression, so we truly know what mutual respect means. Other countries also view favorably a nation that knows how to treat others with respect.”

Three prerequisites of development

For the past thirty years, China’s economic growth has kept a steady annual rate of about 9,6 percent. Will such a favorable trend last in the long run? Wen Jiabao’s response is yes, it is certainly possible. But, for the trend to continue, three prerequisites need to be met, Wen adds.

”First of all, the circumstances must be favorable in China as well as abroad and we have been preparing for this. We have a sound population base, an adequate supply of educated labor, rich natural resources and the strong structural groundwork laid down by our opening and reform policies.”

“The second prerequisite is making the correct political choices and investing our resources wisely. The third one is maintaining peace.”

”We need a fairly long peacetime and the optimal circumstances for China to prosper. But how long do we need? I have said earlier that if we wish to see China among the middle class developed countries, the process of getting us there will take fifty years. If we want China to reach the level of today’s welfare states, it will require the work of one entire, or even several generations. On the one hand, we must seize the opportunity and make an effort to eliminate any shortcomings and carry out our duties to the best of our capabilities. On the other hand, we should profit from this relatively long peacetime period - for the longer it is, the better.”

In conclusion, Wen expressed the following wish to the overseas Chinese present at the reception hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Finland:

”We should pay attention to treating others equally and with respect. We should also give out truthful information about China and its achievements, as well as its shortcomings. In this way, we can make sure that our nation is seen as being reliable and worth building friendly relations with.”

Translated from Chinese by: Terhi Mikkolainen and Yuzhuo Cai
English translation: Stina Björkell