Page 2 - ON BUILDING A HUMAN COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE

ON BUILDING A HUMAN COMMUNITY WITH A SHARED FUTURE

pursuing common development, not only are we able to benefit both
countries and peoples, but we are also able to play an important role in
promoting world peace and development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
What is it that has enabled China and Germany to arrive at such
a positive place? To my mind, an important factor is that through years
of work from both sides, we have learnt that countries with different
histories, cultures, national circumstances, and social systems need to
understand one another and approach one another with sincerity, need to
listen to one another, and to put themselves in the other’s shoes, thinking
about things from their perspective.
Better understanding each other, and seeing things from the other’s
perspective, is basic groundwork for promoting relations. The more we
know of and can understand each other, the sturdier and broader the
foundations for exchange and cooperation.
As you know, through over 30 years of rapid growth under reform
and opening up, China’s GDP has come to be second in the world.
Presented with a China that continues to grow, some have begun to
worry. There are those who can see China only through layers of bias
and believe a developed China is inevitably a threat. There are even those
who would have you think China is some kind of Mephisto, as if one day
it’ll suck the world’s soul. Though this is clearly absurd, the sad thing is
that there are still those who never tire of propounding it. This just goes
to show that prejudice is the hardest thing to uproot.
Looking back over human history, we see that what keeps people
apart are not mountains or oceans but a lack of mutual understanding.
As Leibniz once observed, only the sharing of our talents will light the
lamp of wisdom.
Let me take this opportunity to discuss China’s commitment to
a peaceful development path, which I will do by talking about China’s
reform and development. I hope this will help everyone to understand
China better.
Many years ago, China solemnly declared to the world that it is
committed to a peaceful development path and that it will pursue its own

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