European Parliament (EP) President Josep Borrell, who is to
leave for China today for a seven-day visit, hailed the rapid
economic growth of China on Wednesday.
Comparing China to an "awakening lion," Borrell said China has
undergone "huge" changes over the past 13 years.
His upcoming visit marks the EP president's first visit in the
past 13 years.
"Napoleon said China is a sleeping lion, but I think now China
is a lion awakening," Borrell said in an exclusive interview with
Xinhua News Agency.
The EP president said China's economic growth was "miraculous,"
citing the fact that it had recently overtaken Britain and France
to become the fourth largest economy in the world.
"China is producing everything, and it is the manufacturing
center of the globe. We Europeans believe China is a lion
awakening," said Borrell.
Borrell's last China tour dated back to 1988 when he was a
senior official of the Spanish government. Borrell said he was then
impressed by Shanghai, and later he read a lot about China,
especially those books about Chinese history and culture.
Borrell said he liked Chinese food so much that he even
befriended a boss of a Chinese restaurant near his house.
In 2005, Borrell became the first EP president who formally
extended the greeting of "Happy New Year" to the Chinese people
through a TV channel, which enjoyed widespread applause in
China.
"I was very pleased to have this opportunity to address the
Chinese people and to express the EP's best wishes for the Chinese
'year of the dog'," he said. "It is a very important tradition for
your people and such gestures will help us to get to know each
other better."
Borrell's spokesperson told Xinhua that Borrell's upcoming China
tour would last seven days, and he was expected to visit Beijing,
Lhasa and Shanghai.
"My objective is to see as much as possible of what the real
China is today: the political authorities, the economic
transformation," he said.
As for his meeting with Chinese leaders, Borrell said he hopes
to talk about "the opportunities that arise from a strengthened
relationship with the EU."
He said he also wanted to talk about what both sides could do to
"help each other face the challenges of the rapid global
transformations," such as the impact on migration, environment,
social provision, and the role of parliaments in mapping out
solutions to these challenges.
On the relations between China and the EU, Borrell said the
China-EU relations have been strengthened and improved for the
recent years.
"Contacts at all levels can only help to promote greater
understanding, and an atmosphere of trust in which all questions
can be raised," he said.
"Last year relations were even more intense, as we commemorated
the 30th anniversary of EU-China diplomatic ties," he added.
Borrell also spoke highly of exchanges of visits between the EP
and China's National People Congress (NPC), and of those between
the EP party groups and the Communist Party of China.
"The parliamentary aspect of this relationship is a key element
of this relationship. Parliamentary discussions have a particular
value in promoting understanding between peoples as well as
governments," he said.
"Recently a EP delegation, led by the chairman of the legal
affairs committee, visited China. Some of the political group
chairmen also visited China recently. Such contacts are the best
way to deepen the relations between the EP and the NPC," he
added.
(Xinhua News Agency July 7, 2006)
