"Without the Communist Party, there would be no New China."
These days, this sentence has been swept across the Internet because it was spoken from a foreigner.
This person is Niu Wangdao, the Argentine ambassador to China. At that time, as an escort, he attended President Xi Jinping's meeting with Argentine President Fernandez.
What was it about seeing and feeling that this diplomatic envoy, who had just come to China on his post, uttered these words that Chinese often hang on his lips?
In June last year, Tan and Niu Wangdao met at a visit to the Chinese Communist Party History Exhibition Hall. These days, the Argentine president who accompanied Niu Wangdao to China visited many places, and the first stop was the Party History Museum. Fernandez also became the first foreign head of state to visit the Museum of Party History.
What kind of opportunity did the Argentine guests from afar and China quickly warm up?
In order to understand the story behind it, Tan sent a WeChat message to Ambassador Niu Wangdao, who had just finished his trip, hoping to conduct a written interview, and he replied happily - Perfecto (Spanish, translated as "perfect").
The last time Lord Tan had an exclusive dialogue with Niu Wangdao was when China supported Argentina's demand for full sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands at the United Nations General Assembly. Niu Wangdao, who watched the first follow-up report of the Central Radio and Television Corporation, thanked the Central Radio and Television Station for sending out a real voice to the world. Soon after, Niu Wangdao also paid a special visit to the main station.
What kind of bond allows the media of the two developing countries to be deeply connected?
In the face of this series of curiosities, Niu Wangdao replied to Lord Tan one by one.
Ambassador of Argentina to China Niu Wangdao
After the meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Fernandez, you, as an escort, said to President Xi with Chinese: "Without the Communist Party, there would be no new China", which was appreciated by President Xi and also caused a warm response among Chinese netizens. Can you talk about the situation and how you felt?
Niu Wangdao: This sentence is really felt and spontaneously revealed.
The bilateral meeting was very cordial and talked a lot about the role of the Communist Party of China in China's development process.
Our President, Alberto Fernandez, was the first foreign head of state in the world to visit the exhibition hall of the history of the Communist Party of China. The exhibition hall was inaugurated in Beijing last year on the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and the visit left a deep impression on the mainland president.
During the tour, you can see various major historical periods in China. Obviously, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, in a very short historical period, China has become one of the world's major powers, and the technological development of key industries is in a leading position.
In addition, China has also made great achievements in building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, and China's goal of eliminating absolute poverty has been achieved. All of this reflects the veracity of what I said to President Xi Jinping at the end of the meeting.
On July 1, 2021, when President Xi Jinping delivered a historic speech, I heard this song for the first time. "Without the Communist Party, there would be no new China," 75,000 people sang in unison, a heartfelt compliment that deeply touched me.
The Chinese Communist Party and argentina's Justice Party have a similar history, and the exchanges between the two leaders have been smooth. For this reason, the president of the mainland was one of the main speakers at the summit of leaders of the Communist Party of China and the world political parties held by President Xi Jinping last year on the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.
I am grateful to the Chinese public for their love for me, and I am flattered by how quickly this little episode spread. It was a magical moment for me, because I never thought President Xi Jinping would smile at me. I think his expression says it all.
During his current visit to China, President Fernandez went to the History Exhibition Hall of the Communist Party of China, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the Huawei Exhibition Hall, and the Forbidden City, and also attended the appointment ceremony of honorary professors of Tsinghua University. Could you please share some details of the interaction between President Fernandez and President Xi Jinping?
Niu Wangdao: Indeed, President Alberto Fernandez's visit to China on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics is of great significance. In terms of the number of agendas, the itinerary of this visit to China is so compact that it is rare in short-term visits.
President Fernandez is also chairman of the Peronist party in Argentina, the Justice Party, which is why we also want the delegation to China to learn about the Chinese Communist Party through the exhibition hall of the history of the Communist Party of China.
Overcoming the obstacles of the epidemic, the exhibition hall was inaugurated in 2021 on the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. President Fernandez thus became the first foreign head of state to visit the Chinese Communist Party History Exhibition Hall.
The visit left the president with fond memories as the exhibition hall vividly recalls the achievements of the Chinese Communist Party in a very short period of time.
Argentine President Fernandez visits the Chinese Communist Party History Exhibition Hall with samples of lunar soil
The President's visit to China also includes a visit to the Huawei Technology Center, an example of technology leadership in China's telecommunications industry.
In addition, it is also very exciting that the president has been awarded the title of Honorary Professor of Tsinghua University. Tsinghua University is one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the world, with close cooperation with the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) in mainland China. President Fernandez graduated from the law department of the university and still teaches at the school.
In their meeting with President Xi Jinping, they discussed the commonality between Argentina's Peronism and the Chinese Communist Party: adhering to the people-centered development philosophy, while also emphasizing the further strengthening of bilateral relations on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Argentina. Our (Justice) Party has a strategic vision on the issue of relations with China and is still gradually deepening.
In 2014, President Christina and President Xi Jinping decided to elevate Arab-Chinese relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, further consolidating bilateral relations.
The mainland president's visit to China and Argentina's accession to the "Belt and Road" initiative have elevated the relations between the two countries to a new level.
The original 20-minute meeting lasted nearly an hour, as the leaders of the two countries established good personal relationships during the difficult period when the epidemic spread around the world.
At the moment of the epidemic, China has played a key role in strengthening the Argentine health system by supplying medical supplies and later providing vaccines for the mainland vaccination program. As the President of the mainland has said, suffering sees the truth, and we sincerely thank the Chinese Government and the people of the Chinese for their help.
A few days ago, the Argentine State Secretary of Public Media, Valeria Sapesotchini, and Shen Haixiong, director and editor-in-chief of the Central Radio and Television Station, signed the "Cooperation Agreement between the China Central Radio and Television Station and the Office of the State Secretary of Argentine Public Media" together.
Niu Wangdao: I think this cooperation agreement between the two countries' public mainstream media organizations is of historical significance. We made this announcement on the occasion of the President's recent visit to China, which also includes 13 other cooperation documents, including the Memorandum of Understanding between the two governments on the Belt and Road Initiative.
I think this kind of cooperation is essential because countries in our region still know very little about China, and media cooperation is the glue that promotes mutual understanding.
We must deepen our understanding from our own perspective, and not be swayed by other ideas that are mixed with political intentions. The main objectives of the agreement include cooperation in content production and technical exchange, with a focus on media innovation and technology, as well as cooperation in content distribution and market development.
I believe that this is an important agreement that will not only enhance our mutual understanding, but also promote the development of tourism, culture and trade.
China is Argentina's second largest trading partner and is poised to become our number one trading partner in the near term. The economies of Afghanistan and China complement each other, which enables us to develop together.
Argentine President Fernandez experiences a model of China's high-speed rail at the Chinese Communist Party History Exhibition Hall
Not long ago, you went to the Central Radio and Television Station for exchanges, can you please share your observations and feelings about this exchange? What kind of exchange experience did you have with Shen Haixiong, director and editor-in-chief of the Central Radio and Television Corporation, and how do you evaluate the work done by the Central Radio and Television Station in promoting Arab-Chinese relations?
Niu Wangdao: The meeting with Director Shen Haixiong was fruitful. I was very impressed with how well he knew about Argentina. He was also well acquainted with Argentina's claims on the Falklands, as he had studied important literature on the mainland.
We talked a lot about the interests of the two peoples, the cultures of the two countries, and the possibility of strengthening the ties between the two countries.
We have all emphasized the important role of the media in today's world. I would like to emphasize all the work done by the Central Radio and Television Corporation to further deepen cooperation.
With the recent cooperation agreement between the media organizations of the two countries, we still have a lot of work to do to jointly plan specific cooperation plans on the major platforms of the two countries. We have to do a comprehensive and close communication process, because in Latin America, the media information we are exposed to is very biased and mixed with political elements, which is why we must establish our own perspective.
This time, in the joint statement on deepening the China-Arab comprehensive strategic partnership issued by China and Argentina, China reiterated its demand for support for the Afghan side to fully exercise sovereignty on the Falklands issue.
Niu Wangdao: In fact, China has always supported us. China's position in the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United Nations General Assembly has always been firm.
The Argentine people are very grateful for this statement. For example, Gustavo Melera, governor of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica and the South Atlantic Islands, said: "The Tierra del Fuego province to which the Falklands belongs is grateful for the support given by China and other countries on the issue of anti-colonialism in the 21st century. We want and have the right to live in a peaceful area. ”
Similarly, in the joint statement, Argentina reaffirmed its support for the one-China principle.
You have personally been to many cities in China, and not long ago, you also visited Yulin, Shaanxi, what is your impression of Yulin?
Niu Wangdao: I have been to more than 20 provinces and many cities in China, and I think it is crucial to understand the culture and customs of different regions of China. Understanding all aspects of Chinese culture can develop new business opportunities for us and further expand cooperation.
We are developing a cooperation strategy at the local level to promote docking and cooperation between Argentina and Chinese provinces and cities, which is of great significance for the comprehensive deepening of Arab-Chinese relations. China is vast and has a rich and profound cultural heritage.
The trip to Yulin, Shaanxi Province, was very rewarding because we signed a memorandum of understanding between the Argentine Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Yulin High-tech Development Zone to build an Argentine-Chinese football academy. The college will be built in an area that already has forty schools.
Yulin is a key city for the development of sports in China, and there is already a new Olympic campus in the city equipped with a football field and training ground. The purpose of the agreement was to exchange football coaches, teachers and other resources. This strategy is part of China's football development plan.
We also used this visit to investigate cooperation programs in agriculture, animal husbandry and mining.
I was also amazed at how the city developed and implemented one of humanity's most important reforestation programs, turning deserts into forests and achieving year-round air quality standards.
Source: CCTV