Source: Global Times
This year, I first landed in China, and some arrived a little later. From then on, we have experienced many things together. In Beijing, we witnessed the change of seasons and tasted various delicacies. We walked in parks, rode countless shared bicycles, drove electric vehicles, and traveled freely by high-speed rail and airplanes. We truly feel that China may be one of the friendliest countries for foreigners in the world.
We are amazed by China's technological progress: robots, drones, artificial intelligence, etc., are emerging one after another. We have experienced the annual National "Two Sessions" (the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference). In the streets and alleys of Beijing, whether during the day or at night, we feel an indescribable sense of security. Whether in Hainan Island or in the streets and alleys of Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Qingdao, Yantai, Kuche, etc., we feel the same sense of security. We cherish those lectures, cultural experiences, short trips, and sports activities, as well as the kindness from people we have never met before. We admire the harmonious coexistence and collective consciousness of society — whether at a busy traffic intersection or in a restaurant during lunchtime. These small experiences make us, as journalists, with our professional sensitivity, listen carefully, observe attentively, and truly "see the differences."
Journalists, writers, and researchers from the periphery of Europe and the regions surrounding the EU often face strong pressure from mainstream media and political discourse centered on the West and Europe. However, because we are located at the periphery of Europe, in a way, we also share similar characteristics and challenges with countries in the Global South. In this era of rapidly changing geopolitical landscapes, we, as a generation, bear the responsibility of re-evaluating values that were once taken for granted. The "old world" is showing signs of fatigue and is struggling to respond to today's challenges. Just as our parents and grandparents once looked up to the West with hope, we young people seem more willing to believe that true light may be rising from the East.
That is why China's role in the changing global order is so crucial — it is not based on the concept of conquest, but on the principles of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, knowledge sharing, and ultimately achieving common prosperity. This prosperity does not sacrifice the development of other regions for the progress of a particular region — as we have seen repeatedly in the shared history of the Global South. If we want our audience to truly realize that "the sun rises in the East," they must understand that China is not an enemy or a competitor, but a friend with Confucian core values and thousands of years of wisdom.
Through this in-depth understanding of China, our careers have benefited greatly, and we have become, in a sense, "people's ambassadors." We carry the responsibility and honor of conveying a more authentic and profound story about China to our audience. Thank you for kindly opening this grand door to China for us. (The author of this article is Slovenian journalist Mojca Pisek, and the content is excerpted from her speech delivered on July 5th during her activities in China.)
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7524106840523964938/
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