Interview: Mi Xiaosheng, a Chinese in the heart of Europe
Mi Xiaosheng, 28, has worked in Brussels for two years as a correspondent for China Radio International. As the end of his assignment in the European capital approaches, Mi took a look at what draws Chinese people to Brussels and discussed the differences in how Chinese and European people perceive each other.
The fact that CRI has Chinese journalists based in the Belgian capital has nothing to do with the political crisis the country is currently engaged in. No, it is due to the city's status as an epicenter of European politics, a city that hosts the European Union's key institutions (China's largest trading partner) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The Chinese journalists based in Brussels also report on major events taking place in the ensemble of the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg).
Over the last few weeks, the focus of these oriental reporters has been on developments regarding the treaty of Lisbon, which is to replace the European Constitutional Treaty, as well as on European reactions to matters concerning international security, such as Iran's nuclear program and the conflicts in Burma and Kosovo.
A Chinese vision of Europe
According to Mi, life in Europe is less stressful than in China where economic growth is engendering heightened competition. Even if he finds individualism to be quite a strong trait among European people, he also finds it enriching to exchange constructive opinions with Europeans.
Talking to a Chinese journalist working in Brussels, one cannot pass up the chance to their opinion on on Sino-European relations.
"The Chinese regard Europe as the world's second largest economic and military power. And because Europe advocates dialog as the primary means to strengthen multilateral relations, the continent is seen as practicing more 'soft power' than the Americans," Mi explains, adding that this "soft power" has resulted in Europeans being viewed in a more positive light in China than Americans.
From a Chinese viewpoint, Europe's weakness lies in the inefficiency of political decision-making. "People with different habits cannot form a family," Mi says, quoting a Chinese proverb, which illustrates how the Chinese view Europeans on the level of politics.
"People of Germanic and Latin origin do not come from the same culture, which sometimes hinders the efficiency of political activity, and especially political decision-making."
Despite this inefficiency, Mi Xiaosheng thinks China-Europe relations will grow even stronger as environmental issues become global and also due to the mutual desire to create a multipolar world. And if globalization gives rise to new disputes, especially with regard to commercial balance, the core of the relations should remain unscathed due to the commitment of both China and Europe to solving conflicts through negotiation.
Antiquated vision of China
When Mi meets new people in Europe, he often finds that they are very interested in China. "I feel Europeans are very interested in China", he says. He says that one of the things people most want to discuss is China's admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
However, he feels that the view that many Europeans have of China is antiquated. "Europeans generally don't have a view of China that is either favorable or unfavorable, but their opinions are just not completely objective, they're not complete. For many Europeans, China seems to be country stuck in the 1960s or 70s. Their vision of China is not accurate or up-to-date."
The main culprit behind this backward view, in Mi's opinion, is the Western media. In the first place, press coverage often tends to be very one-sided, like this year the reports on recalls involving millions of China-made toys, when in fact it was later established that Mattel's manufacturing specifications may have also been faulty. This kind of lack of objectivity is surprising to Mi, who considers members of Western media to be the most professional and highly educated in the industry.
Secondly, the entertainment industry has an undeniable influence on the image people have of China. For example, in the movie "Mission Impossible" Chinese people wear "Mao" suits dating from the 1970s. Mi says he is surprised that such mainstream films present such an outdated image of China, which in no way corresponds to today's reality.
When asked about how their impressions of China could be corrected, he says that there is only one solution -- if more people went to China to see the country for themselves and made their own judgments.
