Lianbo｜Look at the first interview of the year from the three ancient sayings mentioned by President Xi

Lianbo Damei May, the beginning of the annual visit of the Chinese head of state, starts from Europe.

"A gentleman is harmonious and not frivolous, and he is strong; he is neutral and not leaning, he is strong." "Those who share the same will do not regard mountains and seas as far away." "We know each other no matter how far we are, but we are still neighbors thousands of miles away." During his visit to Europe, President Xi Jinping mentioned three ancient sayings that vividly reflected his visit.

On the occasion of his visit to France, President Xi Jinping mentioned an old Chinese proverb in a signed article published by the French media: "A gentleman is harmonious but not sloppy, and he is strong and correct; he is neutral but not leaning, and he is strong and correct." The original meaning of this sentence is that a gentleman is a gentleman. Very strong, getting along well with others without following the crowd, adhering to the right path without being biased. President Xi quoted this ancient saying to emphasize that no matter how the external environment changes, interactions between countries must maintain integrity and neutrality.

Looking back on this visit, "independence and self-reliance" is a high-frequency word and the cornerstone of multilateral relations.

△On the morning of May 6, 2024, local time, President Xi Jinping was invited to hold a tripartite meeting between China, France and EU leaders with French President Macron and European Commission President von der Leyen.

At the Elysée Palace in Paris, the leaders of China, France and Europe sat around the table. Talking about China-EU relations, President Xi stressed: "China-EU relations have strong endogenous driving force and broad development prospects. They are not targeted at, dependent on, or controlled by a third party."

President Macron strongly resonates with this. He said that France and the EU need to strengthen cooperation with China more than ever, as this is related to the future of Europe. Von der Leyen also said that the EU hopes to respect each other with China, seek common ground while reserving differences, enhance mutual trust, avoid misunderstandings, jointly safeguard the international order based on international law, and promote world peace, security and prosperity.

The original 40-minute tripartite meeting time was nearly doubled. Immediately after the meeting, President Macron posted on social media, saying, "The relationship between China and Europe and the coordination between us are of decisive significance."

For thousands of years, Serbia has been prone to frequent wars due to its special strategic location. As early as the Yugoslav period, China and Serbia have forged a profound friendship. During his talks with President Vucic, President Xi Jinping made it clear: "China supports Serbia in adhering to independence, pursuing a development path suitable for its national conditions, and supports Serbia's efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"There is only one China in the world, and Serbia will continue to firmly support China without hesitation or wavering." President Vucic's speech was firm and powerful.

Hungary was one of the first countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and it was also the first European country to sign an intergovernmental cooperation document on the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" with China. In the turbulent international situation, Hungary has always stood firm in outstanding style.

President Xi Jinping praised China-Hungary relations in a signed article published by the Hungarian media: "In the ever-changing international situation, we are not afraid of wind and rain, and we are not afraid of power, and we have found a right path for independent and friendly foreign exchanges between sovereign countries."

Looking around the world, power politics and hegemony have disrupted world peace and become a hugely destructive factor facing international peace. Only by adhering to independent foreign policies and jointly opposing all countercurrent approaches such as the "new cold war", "decoupling and disconnection" and "small courtyards and high walls" can all countries in China and Europe inject positive energy into the peaceful development of the world.

"Those who share common interests are never far away from each other." When he visited Hungary, President Xi quoted this ancient saying in his signed article, which clarified the way for countries to get along with each other.

New productive forces, global development initiatives, global security initiatives, global civilization initiatives, Chinese-style modernization... During this visit to Europe, these topics have become the common "ambitions" of Chinese and European leaders across mountains and seas, and they have also proved to the world that China and Europe have different civilizations, Countries with different systems and different levels of development can achieve "two-way travel."

During this visit to France, President Xi used multiple occasions to clarify China's position and emphasized the need to enhance consensus on cooperation: "Currently, France is promoting 're-industrialization' based on green innovation, and China is also accelerating the development of new productive forces. Both sides can deepen innovation Cooperate to promote green development.”

During his visit to Serbia, President Xi Jinping announced China’s first six pragmatic measures to support the construction of a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era. President Vucic said that Serbia firmly supports and will actively participate in the global development initiative, global security initiative, and global civilization initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping, and will work closely with China on multilateral strategic coordination to jointly oppose hegemonic powers, safeguard the purposes of the United Nations Charter, and safeguard international fairness. justice.

△On the afternoon of May 9, 2024, local time, President Xi Jinping held talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Orban at the Prime Minister’s Office in Budapest.

In Hungary, President Xi invited “Hungary to become a fellow traveler on the road to Chinese-style modernization.” When Prime Minister Orban met with reporters after his talks with President Xi, he expressed his feelings directly: "We need partners. China invites us to share the opportunity of Chinese-style modernization, which is a huge opportunity for us."

Although China, France, Serbia and Hungary are thousands of miles apart, their goals of common development and common prosperity highly overlap. When we meet each other halfway, cooperation will be "accelerated".

During this visit, China and France issued a total of 4 joint statements on the situation in the Middle East, artificial intelligence and global governance, enhanced cooperation on biodiversity and oceans, and agricultural exchanges and cooperation, and signed nearly 20 cooperation projects in the fields of green development, aviation, agriculture and food, etc. protocol.

The heads of state of China and Serbia announced the establishment of a community with a shared future between China and Serbia in the new era, opening a new chapter in the history of China-Serbia relations. The two parties have signed or agreed on as many as 28 cooperation documents, covering "new" fields such as artificial intelligence, space technology, and digital economy.

The leaders of China and Hungary announced that they would upgrade China-Hungary relations to an all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership in the new era. Among the 18 cooperation documents signed or agreed upon by both parties, the joint construction of joint laboratories and the promotion of investment cooperation in the field of green development are particularly eye-catching.

The rich results of the visit have not only consolidated, strengthened and upgraded China's relations with the three countries, but are also of great significance to promoting cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European countries and the overall development of China-EU relations.

“We know each other no matter how far we are, but we are still neighbors thousands of miles away”, this is an old saying quoted by President Xi during his visit to Serbia. This sentence not only expresses the closeness between the two countries thousands of miles apart, but also a true portrayal of President Xi’s trip to Europe to promote exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations.

△On May 8, 2024, local time, before the talks between the heads of state of China and Serbia at the Serbian Building in Belgrade, President Vucic accompanied President Xi Jinping to the platform of the Government Building.

Nearly 20,000 local people gathered in the Serbian Building Square, waving the national flags of China and Serbia, shouting the names of the two countries in unison, and welcomed the visit of the Chinese head of state. "I was shocked and deeply moved by that scene." President Xi sighed.

After the talks between the two heads of state, President Xi Jinping gave President Vucic two "special gifts." What makes them special is that the steel used to make them is produced by the HBIS Group's Smedelevo Steel Plant. "We are 'steel pole' friends." Chairman Xi's witty words revealed the ever-lasting friendship between China and Serbia.

In Hungary, President Xi Jinping stepped out of the cabin door, and Prime Minister Orban greeted the distinguished guests with "Welcome to my home." A Hungarian girl presented flowers to President Xi again after 15 years. “I was so moved at the time.” President Xi said with emotion when mentioning this special arrangement during his meeting with President Shuyuk, “From a little girl to a beautiful girl, doesn’t this symbolize the growth of China-Hungary friendship? "

"Many Chinese people of my age have watched the Hungarian movie "The Goose Herder"" "Chinese classics such as "A Dream of Red Mansions" have been translated into Hungarian for a long time"... Following Chairman Xi's narration, scenes unfolded Cultural imprints outline a map of mutual understanding. Today, Chinese has been included in Hungary’s national education system.

In France, President Macron invited President Xi to visit the Hautes-Pyrenees province, which has special significance to him. In front of the "Shepherd's Station" at the Tourmalai Mountain Pass, the two heads of state and their spouses enjoyed the shepherd's dance performed by local villagers. In the wooden house, they sat by the window, overlooking the mountains, tasting local delicacies, and discussing the world.

From the "Night Talk in Nice" and "Tea Talk in Yuyuan" in 2019, to the "Pine Garden Meeting" in 2023, and then to this inn talk, the heads of state of China and France have conducted small-scale, informal interactions time and time again in places of special significance. , spend unforgettable time together, and continue to write the story of "Mountains and Flowing Waters".

Each special arrangement comes from the fact that China has always had heart-to-heart ties with the three countries and treated each other with sincerity. Just as President Xi said, "We know each other no matter how far we are, but we are still neighbors thousands of miles apart."