CHINESE  AMBASSADOR  LIU  JIANCHAO:  DESTINED  TO  COME  TO  RP

MANILA, OCTOBER 11, 2009 (STARweek) By Pia Lee-Brago - “Yes, China is strong, much stronger than it used to be 60 years ago when China was under aggression from foreign powers, when most of China was living in poverty. China was basically an agrarian society rather than industrialized one, but today I can cite all the achievements that we made in the last 60 years that really made China a strong country.”

Chinese Ambassador to Manila Liu Jianchao has reason to be proud as the People’s Republic of China celebrates its 60th founding anniversary. Festivities in Beijing last Thursday, which featured the biggest show of military power yet, underscored what President Hu Jintao called the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.”

Speaking to STARweek a few days before National Day, Liu said that China is both “big and small,” strong in terms of the size of the country, size of the population, size of its economy, size of achievements, but Liu referred to one Chinese scholar who said that no matter how big the achievement of China, if it is divided by the 1.3-billion population it becomes a very small achievement.

China’s economy has taken giant strides since Deng Xiaoping proclaimed it was good to make money, but the fast pace of development poses its share of problems, particularly the imbalance of development, the differences between rural and urban areas, and the challenges of a huge population.

China may have a very strong industrial base but Liu points out that it has a big population to feed, there is the need to create nine million jobs, and the government has to make sure the unemployment rate is low. At the same time the government has to address the 14 million still living on less than $1 a day and take care of about 60 million handicapped people.

Liu admits that China is getting stronger militarily, but quickly clarifies that that does not mean China is “going to be a threat to its neighbors, to the rest of the world for the reason that China pursues a foreign policy of peace.”

The reason for the build-up, he explains, is that China has 30 percent of the world’s population and has 9.6 million square kilometers and a long border to protect.

China, he says, would always call for resolving differences and territorial disputes diplomatically, pursuing common development and helping countries in trouble. “That’s not what a country that constitutes a threat would do,” he points out.

“It’s really the policy rather than the power itself,” he says. “At the same time, if we take a close look at our military you can see it’s still very, very small. It’s big in its total amount but it’s only one tenth of the military expenditures of the United States. It’s almost the same as that of Japan but on per capita terms we’re just 35 percent or about 25th of that of the US.”

He says most countries believe China is not a threat. “I think our neighbors in this part of the world believe the development of China is good news for them. It’s an opportunity for them rather than a challenge because of the good neighbor policy of China, so I do hope that they just look at the policy, don’t listen to others.”

Liu cites the significance of this year’s celebration, saying China is entering into a new age in her history of 5,000 years.

“And 60 is a very important figure in China in terms of year, because according to our ancient system of designating the year, it represents the end of a cycle and the beginning of the next cycle. That means China has achieved tremendously in the past 60 years in terms of economic and social development and we’re beginning the new cycle,” he explains.

China has very good relations with the Philippines, he says, particularly in trade and economic relations. As ambassador, Liu wants to help bring Filipinos and Chinese even closer to each other.

“That’s one of the things I’d like to accomplish. You can never accomplish something in a short period of time but that’s something I’d like to work on. I also want to see the economic and trade relations continue to grow in the next couple of years because we now have very good momentum,” he says.

Liu also wants to bridge the two governments and the private sectors of the two countries and find more opportunities to talk to each other, know each other and do business.

These days, when trade issues are raised, it is unfortunately the scrapped $329-million national broadband network project of Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE with the Philippines government that comes to mind.

During a roundtable with local media at the Chinese Embassy last June, Liu acknowledges the ZTE deal was an “unfortunate” incident and Chinese companies were “upset” after it was scrapped.

He said the ZTE deal was a “learning experience” for both sides as he advised the Philippines to let other countries know what is the best way to do business here and foster economic cooperation.

“It seems to be a very controversial deal but I think all the parties involved should learn a lesson from it. It’s a learning process for all the parties and a clever man would usually turn a bad thing into a good thing, so if ever they can draw a lesson out of this controversial issue they become more clever and in the future they can do the right thing,” he says.

When asked if it is difficult doing business here, Liu admits, “Sometimes, yes. But I think people in this country and in China both realize the importance of knowing each other better. I think along the process we learn from each other, and when we understand each other we will find a better way to cooperate.”

Coming from the unfortunate experience, Liu says Chinese companies are still very keen on and enthusiastic to have such cooperation with the Philippines on projects in infrastructure, tourism, mining and other areas, “but just let the Chinese companies know how they should proceed, how they should do the right thing, how they should do the projects that are needed by the Filipino people.”

China’s top diplomat in Manila believes he was destined to come to the Philippines. His diplomatic career started with the Philippines when he was involved in the visit to China of the late President Corazon Aquino in April 1988.

“From 1987-April 1988, I had not yet worked in genuine diplomacy until I was involved in the receiving of the visit to China of Her Excellency Corazon Aquino in April 1988, so that’s why I said my diplomatic career did start with that visit,” Liu shares.

Liu, from Jilin province, served in the foreign ministry’s Information Department from 1998, and was ministry spokesman for several years.

He believes that a diplomat is, for his lifetime, a student with the opportunity for further study in every country he is posted. Prior to coming to Manila, Liu read up on the country’s history, culture, geography, even climate. He joked that the first thing he learned about the Philippines was typhoon, and that it was exported to China.

Having been ministry spokesman, Liu is quite comfortable with media, and his openness and candor come as a bit of a surprise.

He does not like the word “dealing” or “handling” when he talks about his experience with the media.

“I don’t really like the way how you should deal, handle the press. I really regard journalists, the media, as partners rather than somebody that you try to handle, somebody that you like to play with. It’s really information-based, business-based, responsibility-based because the media are the bridge between government officials and the general public,” he says. He finds Philippine media very active, very open and very free.

I like a lot of sports. When I was younger in China I was a volleyball player for at least 15 years, from nine until I was 24. I was with the school team all the time. When I was studying in Oxford (where he majored in International Relations) I was in the Oxford volleyball team and I was half blue because I stayed there not for long, so I didn’t really get true blue,” Liu shares.

Although he expresses a desire to perhaps play a friendly match or two here, he says, “I’m not that fit anymore. I gained so much weight since I ceased playing.”

He also plays tennis and table tennis, and has taken up golf in Manila. “I hope I can improve as soon as possible and I can play with my friends from the Philippines and I won’t feel embarrassed,” he says.

Soon after he arrived in Manila in March, a friend invited him to Mt. Pinatubo and on their way down they had a quick meal where he had his first Filipino dish, sisig, which he said is nice but oily.

But he was truly delighted to share his love for halo-halo, which he introduced to his wife during a trip to Vigan.

The ambassador loves good food but he does not have much time to cook. When he does cook, it is for his son who is studying in Macau, his wife, and the diplomats at the embassy.

“I’m sure I’m a good cook because every time I cook my son would say it’s delicious,” he laughs.

Laughter comes easily for the amiable diplomat, as do jokes (ask him the one about Confucius’ English name). He seems to have truly taken to the country, and has already been to Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Aurora, Baler, Davao and Tagaytay, where he enjoys playing golf and looking at Taal volcano.

“A friend and I had dinner and he saw I didn’t have a security person and I didn’t have a bullet-proof car. He was surprised and he said that I should have a bullet-proof car. I said I feel safe. The Chinese people are the friends of the Filipinos, and the Filipinos of the Chinese. I do feel safe here.”