ThesesentimentsarealltoofamiliartoDr.ThomasWagner,presidentofGesellschaftSchweiz-China,anNGOestablishedin1945anddedicatedtopromotingeconomicandculturalexchangesbetweenChinaandSwitzerland.Nowaged73,theSwissexpertholdstwoPhDs,oneinmedicine,theotherinlaw.HewasmayorofZurichfrom1982to1990,followingwhichheservedasdeputymayorforanother12straightyears.ItwasduringhistimeinofficethatheestablishedrelationswithChina.
ZurichandKunming:TwinCities
Backin1982,Chinahadjuststartedtoreformandopenuptotheoutsideworld.WagnerproposedtwinningZurichwithSouthwestChina’sKunmingCity.Lookingback,herememberstheworriesandfearsmanySwisspeoplehadabouthisdecision,andthecriticismsthatpouredinfromthemedia.
“ChinawasastrangecountrytotheWest,includingSwitzerland,backthen,”herecalled.“PeoplewereveryprejudicedandcalledintoquestionthebenefitsofZurichandKunmingbeingtwincities.”
ButWagnerstoodbyhisdecision.HesawthepotentialofChinaandwasfascinatedbyitscultureandpeople.“InowknowmorethaneverbeforethatIwasright.Thosewhocriticizedmeinthepastnowaskmetohelpthemfinda‘wayin’toChina,”Wagnercontinued,“proofthatpublicopinionsdon’treflectthenatureofthingsallthetime.”
ZurichandKunminghavebeentwintownsfor35yearsandmutualbenefitsofthepartnershiphavetranspired.FollowingZurichasanexample,KunminghasbecomeamodelcityinChinainareasrelatingtomunicipalwatersupply,sewagedisposal,urbanpublictransportnetwork,andprotectionofancientarchitectures.Inturn,ZurichhasbenefitedfromordersfromKunmingandalsoexpandeditsventuresinChina.
BeltandRoad:AForward-LookingInitiative
Sofar,2017haswitnessedeffortsonChina’sparttopromoteinternationalcooperation.Itisnolongeracountrythathasjustrestoredeconomicorder,butonethatplaysanimportantroleinworldeconomy.
TofacilitatetheBeltandRoadconstruction,theChinesegovernmentinvitedforeigngueststoparticipateintheBeltandRoadForumforInternationalCooperation,heldinBeijingfromMay14to15.Delegationsfrommorethan100countriesattendedtheforum.Attheopeningceremony,ChinesePresidentXiJinpinggaveakeynotespeech.RussianPresidentVladimirPutinandTurkishPresidentRecepTayyipErdoganalsospoke.
PrimeMinistersofseveralEuropeancountries,suchasPoland,Hungary,CzechRepublic,andGreece,attendedtheforum.Italy’sPaoloGentiloniandSpain’sMarianoRajoyalsoappearedinperson,whileAngelaMerkelandTheresaMayappointedministerstorepresentGermanyandtheU.K.respectivelyinBeijing.Freshfromthepresidentialelection,delegatesfromFrancewerealsopresent.
AccordingtotheframeworkoftheBeltandRoad,Chinaplanstobuildatransportnetworkincludinghighways,railways,ports,andairports,thatwilllinkEuropeandAsia,andalsooilandgaspipelinesandhydropowerstations.ChinesepresidentXiJinpinghopesthatintheupcomingyears,theancientrouteoftradeandcommerce–theSilkRoad–willberejuvenated.XiannouncedaUS$900billioninvestmentinthishugeproject,thecountry’sbiggestsuchpledgeindecades.
IntheWest,differentopinionstowardsthisinitiativehavebeenaired.ShouldEuropebewaryofthewidespreadinfluenceoftheBeltandRoad?“Itneedn’tbe,”Wagneremphasized,“butcriticalinquiryshouldbeallowed.”
“Itwouldbewrongofustolistenonlytopositivefeedback.Criticismsshouldbetoleratedbecausetheyarenecessary.Wecan’tsaythateverythingisgood.Inmyopinion,peopleneedtoinformthemselvesofthefullramificationsofthisinitiative.It’sdangeroustoseeonlyonesideofacoin.”Heexplained,“Ithinkthisinitiativeishighlyintriguingandshouldbesupported.Butquestionsareallowedtohelpusweedoutanyunderlyingproblems.”
Switzerlandhasparticipatedinthisprojectsincetheverybeginning.“MycountryplayedanimportantroleinthedevelopmentoftheAsianInfrastructureInvestmentBank.Althoughwedidnotinvestmuch,weparticipatedinthepreparationworkforit.ThegoodrelationsbetweenChinaandSwitzerlandwillleadustoparticipateindifferentprogramsinthefuturedevelopmentoftheBeltandRoad,”Wagnersaid.
SwitzerlandbrokenewgroundindealingwithChina,accordingtoWagner.Chinesepeoplealsoseeitthisway.InJanuary2017,ChinesePresidentXiJinpingpaidafour-dayvisittoSwitzerlandduringhisparticipationintheDavosWorldEconomicForum.InDavos,Xigaveapassionatespeechonfreetradeandcommonprosperityagainstabackgroundofrisingtradeprotectionismandpopulism.
DorisLeuthard,presidentoftheSwissConfederation,attendedtheBeijingforuminMay,whichintheeyesofWagnersentanimportantsignal.“SwitzerlandwastheonlymajorWesternEuropeancountrytosenditshighestlevelofficialtotheBeijingforum.Thismovecouldhelptostrengthenmutualtrust.Thekeytosmoothcooperationbetweenthetwocountriesisanat-titudeoftrustandopennesstowardseachother.”
WagneralsopointedoutthatthegeneralpublicofSwitzerlandknowslittleabouttheBeltandRoad.“ButifyouaskanyonewhomaintainsfrequentcontactwithAsia,you’llfindthattheyarequitefamiliarwiththisinitiative.IthinkourmissionattheGesellschaftSchweizChinaistodrawpeople’sattentiontothishuge,forwardlookingproject.Itsimpactwillreachfarintothefuture.”
“Geographically,there’sagreatdistancebetweenChinaandEurope.ButtheBeltandRoadInitiativeprovidesnumerouscooperativeopportunities,mostnotablyfortheEuropeanmarket.Wehaveawellstructuredindustry,andadvantagesinthefieldsofrailways,constructionmachinery,engineering,andaerospacetechnology.Besides,weareexperiencedinenvironmentalprotection.Therefore,wecancontributetoeconomicdevelopmentandenvironmentalprotectionwithawin-winresult.Inmyopinion,weinEuropecouldparticipateintheBeltandRoadconstructionincultural,scientific,andeconomicareas.
CelebrateCulturalDifferences
WagnerseesanopportunityforcooperationbetweenChinaandSwitzerlandintheculturalsector.ManycountriesintheworldappreciateSwitzerland’seffortsinsuccessfullypreservingitsdifferentculturalstructuresandtraditions.“Ithinkweareobligedtopassthissenseofresponsibilitytoothercountries,”saidWagner.
Heexplained:“Weneedtoconsiderthefollowingquestionstomakesuredevelopmentandinterconnectivitydonothaveadverseeffectsontheculturesofthecountriesconcerned.WhatresultswilltheBeltandRoadbringduringitsimplementation?Whatdoesitmeantothedifferentculturesalongtheroutes?Willtheylosetheiridentities?”
AccordingtoWagner,inthepastseveralyears,ChinahasexertedagrowinginfluenceinSwitzerland.Thisisinseparablefromthemaintenanceofgoodbilateralrelations.TheGesellschaftSchweiz-Chinahasmadeitsowncontributionstotheblossomingrelationship.“Ourorganizationworksasacoordinator.Wepoolsuitablepeopleinaprogramatasuitabletime,whichmightgiveusachancetoparticipateintheBeltandRoadinthefuture.”
Howcaninternationalcooperationsucceed?WhatshouldtheEuropeanspayattentiontowhendealingwithChinesepeople?WagnergavehistipsasaChinaexpert:“Peoplewhodon’tknowaboutChinathinkitiseasytodobusinessthere,whichistotallywrong.ForeignersneedtogainthetrustoftheirChinesebusinesspartnerswithgoodprojectsfirstandconvincethemthattheirforeignproductsorexperiencecanmeetthedemandsoftheChinese.Thisrequirespatience.”
“ManyEuropeanshavedonetheopposite.Theywanttorealizetheirgoalassoonaspossible:tosigncontractswithChinaandcarrythemouttomakeaquickprofit.FortheChinese,it’salsoimportanttofindthewaytosuccess.It’sfarmoreimportanttoestablishanddevelopconnectionsinChinathaninEurope.”