Expert calls for better understanding of China

Jin Liqun, right, former vice- minister of Finance and former president of the Asian Development Bank, talks as MEP Emilio Menéndez del Valle, left, Shi Guohui, assistant director-general of the Bureau of North American, Oceanic and Scandinavian Affairs, International Department of CPC Central Committee, and MEP Vladimir Andreev Urutchev listen during the third China-EU High Level Political Parties Forum in Brussels, May 30, 2012.

Brussels – A veteran financial and economic expert dropped his original plan to discuss EU-China economic cooperation at a high level forum after he felt pressed to clarify some misunderstandings about China’s human rights record.

Jin Liqun, former vice- minister of Finance and former president of the Asian Development Bank, was supposed to share his opinions on the European sovereign debt crisis during a workshop for the third China-EU High Level Political Parties Forum.

In his prepared speech in English, Jin suggested that the fiscal policy in EU has been hijacked by the social policies and the welfare system in general, and an overhaul of the macroeconomic policies and a number of social setup is necessary to regain faith in the euro.

After hearing the remarks of some European Parliament members, Jin, who is also chairman of the Board of Supervisors of China Investment Corp (CIC), said he tore apart his speech because he was horrified about the ignorance on China’s real situation.

He said China went through horrible mistakes in the 1950s and 1960s but the country has made tremendous achievements in economic and social development in the past three decades. Millions of Chinese people are out of poverty and the number of Chinese tourists abroad is increasing rapidly.

Chinese people have more freedom to travel abroad and they can afford EU products although they may spend too much time shopping and less time appreciating the culture and history of the EU, he said.

"A handful of people want to stir up chaos in China, but without stability it is impossible to develop the economy."

China is fully committed to human rights protection, the difference on human rights between China and EU is not the protection of human rights but rather the practices and specific methods, he added.

Jin Liqun, right, former vice- minister of Finance and former president of the Asian Development Bank, talks as Philippe Lamberts, MEP and co-president of the European Green Party，listens during the third China-EU High Level Political Parties Forum in Brussels, May 30, 2012.

Jin criticized some Western politicians who talk about human rights in China mainly as a tactic to appeal to voters but their promises were neither sincere nor true to facts.

Jin said China wants to invest more in Europe while other investors are losing confidence, but the misunderstandings and trade barriers in EU, such as high-tech exports, do nothing for China-EU relations.

"Please learn some Chinese… relax," Jin said.

In response, a member of the European Green Party called Jin’s speech “provoking” but he believed it necessary to understand each other better.

Graham Watson, president of the European Liberal Democrats and Reform Party (ELDR), said he was surprised by the willingness of Chinese officials to talk about human rights.

"Maybe we have talked about human rights too much in past forums," he said.