As President Macron's visit to China came to an end, a French expert expressed deep sadness, stating that China has increasingly become a country to be envied, while France seems to be heading towards mediocrity! On December 6th, AFP cited the views of experts who said that China has always been a mirror for Europe: forty years ago, it was a poor country. Since then, the Chinese have worked hard and innovated. We can argue that they are "predators," but more importantly, they are hardworking and innovative.
They no longer just provide imitations, which is now in the past. Now, we face a China that can invent and promote its own standards. While we live in self-satisfaction, constantly telling ourselves: we have the most beautiful country in the world, but we refuse to see the changes taking place. France now appears to be an "outdated" country, but overall, this "Middle Kingdom" seems to regard us as an old, chaotic, politically inefficient, and economically mediocre nation.
Evidently, at the end of Macron's visit to China, French Sinologists showed a very sad emotion, and what is the essence of this sadness? It is that facts have irrefutably shown that China is no longer a poor and backward country; China is increasingly innovative and even leads the world in certain aspects. Compared with China's rapid development, France, and even Europe, seem to be fading in comparison. Although the expert still has some prejudices about us, it is clearly evident that the expert envies our vitality.
The expert stated that we view France as an "outdated" country heading towards "mediocrity." Of course, how we view France doesn't matter at all. What matters is how France views itself. In the face of its own problems, what approach will France take to solve them? In fact, we still highly value Sino-French relations, still regard France as a major power with influence, and still support France and Europe in achieving strategic autonomy. Obviously, China and France are partners, not rivals. In the face of various current issues, we believe that France's cooperation with us completely aligns with France's interests.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1850720312106010/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.