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China on way to world power: Former Dutch ambassador

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-01 16:24

BRUSSELS -- Thirty years of reform and opening-up has put China on the world map and the country is well on its way to becoming an important world power, former Dutch ambassador to China Dirk Jan van den Berg told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Van den Berg, who returned to the Netherlands in February after a two-and-a-half-year tenure in China, said opening-up has enabled the Chinese to lead a better life and benefited world consumers. But development has taken a heavy toll on the environment, which will remain a predominant issue in China for a long time, he added.

Opening-up a Success

Three decades of reform and opening-up has changed China fundamentally, Van den Berg said, adding that the statistics are testimony to a success story.

"Hundreds of millions of Chinese have been lifted from poverty and taken along the road of development. This is not just in the cities but also in rural areas. I think you can consider that a big success," he said.

Van den Berg, who is now president of the Delft University of Technology's executive board, believes that the majority of Chinese have profited from the opening-up policies. 

"Ask the Chinese themselves, 90 or even 99 percent would say their lives have improved in the past 30 years," he said.

China's gain in prosperity is also good for the rest of the world, the former ambassador said.

"Imagine that China is still closed off from the world, with a quite strained capacity to produce enough food for the Chinese people, we would be facing a completely different situation, perhaps a much more difficult one."

Van den Berg is optimistic about China's economic prospects and cites its potential in terms of consumer power.

"Although China is now very dependent on what's happening in other parts of the world, in 10 years' time the picture will look different. China's economy will also depend very much on what's happening domestically," he said.

"Once income levels rise in China, you will see an increasing level of national consumption, and that will make a major impact on the Chinese economy."

In that sense, China's economy still has a lot of opportunity to continue its growth, Van den Berg said. He predicts that China will maintain its high growth rates for many years to come.

THE PRICE OF PROSPERITY

Even as China enjoys its new-found wealth, prosperity has not come without a price. One negative effect is the serious damage to the environment.

Environmental concerns have become dominant issues in China and need to be addressed urgently, said Van den Berg.

He commended the Chinese authorities for being open about the problem and giving it priority on the policy agenda.

"But the government management system in China will have to be strengthened to ensure that Beijing's pragmatic policies are implemented in the provinces," he said.

While the measures put into place by China before and during the Olympic Games have brought back blue skies for a short while, Van den Berg does not think they represent a long-term solution.

"China needs to implement measures that will address structural issues," he advised.

Another problem is the uneven distribution of wealth. "The growing income gap among people could increase tension in society, and could nourish wrong developments in terms of crime," Van den Berg warned.

China's Success Benefits Netherlands

Chinese products are well received in the Netherlands as in other parts of the world. "We are profiting from the fact that China is economically so successful," Van den Berg said.

The port of Rotterdam, the so-called "gateway to Europe," has benefited immensely from the surging trade between China and Europe.

Dutch companies such as Royal Dutch Shell and Philips are among the biggest investors in China. Ordinary Dutch people also benefit from China's links to the world as Chinese imports have kept down the price of consumer products on the Dutch market for years.

Although Chinese goods sparked talks about dumping in some European countries, Van den Berg does not believe closing the markets to Chinese products would help.

He said the Netherlands is willing to work with China and engage in dialogue, rather than turn its back on the Asian giant.

Open Society

When he set foot in China for the first time in 2005, Van den Berg had expected a tightly controlled society where people are not allowed to discuss politics and are afraid to speak their minds.

But to his great surprise, many things could be talked about openly in China, including the government's rights and wrongs.

"Chinese society is much more open and transparent than we expected," he said. "Chinese people talk a lot with each other. There are actually very few secrets in China."

Van den Berg was also impressed by the friendliness of the Chinese. "They are very understanding and easy to approach. I didn't feel any antagonism because of my (foreign) appearance," he said.

Although he did not speak Chinese, he seldom had problem communicating with people there.

"Once you are trying to communicate with someone, always someone else pops up who speaks English, and the conversation is saved," he said, smiling

In recent years, more and more Dutch companies have set up shops in China. Not only are big companies like Akzo Nobel successful in China, many small and medium-sized firms are also doing well in the country.

"Of course you have to use your brains and be realistic about business opportunities in China," Van den Berg said. "But overall China is a less complicated market than countries like India."

In his opinion, despite a major difference in cultural background, the Dutch and the Chinese have similar mindsets when it comes to business. Either side is very direct, focused on what the business is and able to make decisions.

"So basically what you see is that Chinese and Dutch businessmen do understand each other quite well," he said.