China News Agency, Berlin, May 15th, Question: Former Democratic German Chancellor Modro: How can Germany-China relations develop better by increasing trust and dispelling doubts?
China News Agency reporter Ma Xiuxiu
The book "Like China", a birthday gift from the former Chancellor of the Democratic Republic of Germany, Dr. Hans Modelo, to the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China, was recently published in China.
As an old friend of the Chinese people, Mr. Modelo visited China 13 times between 1959 and 2019, witnessing China's development over the past half century.
This year coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Germany.
How do you view the relationship between China and Germany?
What kind of inspiration does the 50-year history of the establishment of diplomatic relations provide for the future development of bilateral relations?
Around the above issues, China News Agency's "East and West Questions" column recently interviewed Mr. Modelo exclusively.
The interview transcript is now organized as follows:
China News Service reporter: What are the main issues discussed in the book "Like China"?
Modelo: Earlier at a symposium celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, a group of scholars, politicians and journalists summed up the achievements of the Chinese people under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.
Many topics were discussed at the time, including economic, social, and environmental policies, China's impact on the world and the Chinese people's self-perception, and what role they hope to play in the world in the future.
Soon after, the opinions reached in this discussion were published in Germany and received a considerable response.
At present, the book will also be published in China, and Chinese readers can understand how Germany views China's development.
However, I don't want to hide the fact that our views are minority views.
Most Germans still follow the government's propaganda, and the perception of China widely circulated in the media is not very friendly.
Regarding China, German political elites have not introduced objectively, such as China's poverty alleviation and social progress.
Nonetheless, China's achievements in science and technology cannot be overshadowed.
The political class of the Federal Republic of Germany and its message purveyors were not ready to accept social formations other than capitalism without prejudice and objectivity.
China News Service: Do Western countries see China's development as a challenge?
Modelo: Western institutions are threatened by internal crises and conflicts.
Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a challenge to the capitalist system because it represents a successful alternative.
It's not just talk.
In the socialist countries of Europe, propaganda always preceded economic achievement.
Of course, incentives must be given through vision.
So in the old GDR, people always said, how we work today, how we will live tomorrow.
But then people would also ask: When is tomorrow?
We also want to see the world like people in West Germany.
At that time, Western propaganda also made every effort to convince people in the former GDR that all people in West Germany were rich.
After the former GDR was taken over by the West, people realized that this was not the case.
China is so powerful economically and militarily, and so politically stable and alert that, objectively, the Western model is at a disadvantage on a level playing field.
The West knows this.
Because of this, Western industrialized countries have used every means to compete with socialism with Chinese characteristics.
A street scene in Beijing.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Hou Yu
China News Service: A survey shows that there is a divergence in the mutual impressions of the Chinese and German people: that is, most Chinese have a good impression of Germany, while only a few Germans have a positive view of China.
What is the cause of this phenomenon?
Modelo: There is only one explanation for this: I don't know.
China advocates harmony, not hegemony; it seeks to unite people, not to incite war.
As I have noticed repeatedly in China, the Chinese are curious and eager to learn, but most Germans are not.
Germans think they know everything, see themselves as the center of the world, and often see everything from the perspective of a prosperous, successful nation.
This is essentially nurtured and propagated by the media, not a new development.
As early as more than 100 years ago, the German Empire said: The world should be healed by German quality.
Later, fascism also claimed that the Germans were the dominant race and had the mission of ruling the world.
Even today, when judging the problems of other peoples, the arrogance and sense of superiority of some Germans are revealed.
For example, when German media reports on issues involving Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang or Tibet, the aim is to blame the Chinese leadership.
Most Germans are doing fine.
When disaster strikes somewhere in the world, they are happy to give generously because they somehow sense that their prosperity is based in large part on the exploitation of the third world.
But this kind of understanding is that there is no way to change the reality, so it will try to change the system.
German people are afraid of change because after all what they read in the newspapers or hear on TV is the lie "Do you want to live like in China? How terrible life is there".
They are willing to believe those words because they are satisfied with their lives.
In the period of the former GDR, we once said: China is a distant country that is very close to us.
This intimacy is nurtured by understanding and knowledge.
A technology research institute in Shandong Province and a technology transfer center in Germany signed a memorandum of cooperation online.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhao Xiao
China News Service: When you visited China in 1959 as secretary of the Central Secretariat of the Free Youth League of the Democratic Republic of Germany, what role did the youth force play in promoting the development of Sino-German relations?
What advice do you have for today?
Modelo: Young people are the masters of tomorrow.
The youth of today will determine the fate of the nation tomorrow.
This is why young people must be educated to prepare them for the future.
In order to lead a country, run the economy, and assume important functions in science, justice, and military, good competence and moral maturity are required.
Young people around the world should connect and learn from each other.
The youth of the former GDR were represented in many international organizations of the time.
We did a lot at the time to give young people a look at the world and to connect with young people in other countries.
I think, even today, it is useful to invite young people to see China, to show them the country, and to "see" the lies they hear about China every day in Germany.
Nothing is more convincing than one's own personal observation.
Many Chinese today are in Germany to form their own perception of European capitalism.
I welcome that very much.
The Baden-Württemberg Youth Accordion Orchestra of Germany and the Beijing Lehai Zhensheng Accordion Orchestra performed together in Beijing.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Du Yang
China News Service: This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Germany.
How do you evaluate the development of Sino-German relations over the past 50 years?
What enlightenment will this provide for the future development of bilateral relations?
Modelo: A few days after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the former GDR established diplomatic relations with it.
It was not until 23 years later that the Federal Republic of Germany was able to agree to a Chinese embassy in Bonn and an embassy in Beijing.
The Federal Republic of Germany's diplomatic recognition of the People's Republic of China was closely related to Nixon's visit to China in 1972.
This may be more or less Washington's influence.
From this, it can be seen that the foreign policy of the Federal Republic of Germany is related to the geostrategic interests of the United States, and still has an impact on the relationship between the Federal Republic of Germany and China.
The United States is a declining world power.
China is a rising world power, and China has strong partners such as the BRICS countries.
It will not be easy for the United States to accept China's rise.
Therefore, the United States and its Western allies are trying to suppress China through political, economic and military means, and prevent China's rise through sanctions.
Such as opposing the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" (known as the "New Silk Road" in Germany), sending warships to cruise along China's coast, and anti-China propaganda becoming more and more hysterical.
We all want China to continue to act in an independent and autonomous manner.
Because people of all countries deserve harmony, not the hegemony dominated by the West that dominates the entire world economic model.
(Finish)
Interviewee Profile:
Hans Modrow was born in 1928.
From 1973 to 1989, he was the First Secretary of the Dresden Region of the United Socialist Party.
From November 1989 to April 1990, he served as Chancellor of the GDR.
He was a member of the May ex-state assembly (until 1952), a member of the GDR People's House (1958-1990), a member of the German Bundestag (until 1994) and a member of the European Parliament (1999-2004).
In March 2022, he resigned as chairman of the German Left Party Elder Council.