"100 Days to Tell 100 Stories of the Communist Party of China's Foreign Exchanges" No. 55
Today I want to tell the story of a "literary and artistic youth." He loved literature and philosophy, liked to write, read the works of Chinese writers such as Ba Jin and Cao Yu, and bluntly said that he was fascinated by this nation that "stepped directly from the Middle Ages into the century of electrons and atoms" in his contacts with China. This "Wenqing" who is fascinated by the Chinese nation is former French President Mitterrand, who has visited China three times in three capacities.
In 1961, Mitterrand was a young senator. At that time, China was actively exploring a development path that suited its national conditions, but Western countries were still hostile to young China. Mitterrand, who was already interested in Asian affairs, advocated recognition of the People's Republic of China. In those years, several French politicians visited Beijing one after another, leaving a good impression on New China.
Mao Zedong met with Mitterrand in 1961
This spring, Mitterrand visited China for the first time. Mao Zedong received him and gave him a Chinese brocade cushion. During his 4-week visit, he toured many cities and saw a "fascinating China today." Later, in his monograph China Faces Challenges, he wrote: "Mao Zedong once said to him, 'You know, we are very patient. Don't recognize us now? We can wait ten, thirty, a hundred years. China is still China, seeking nothing. It's not easy to ignore it a hundred years from now! ’”
Twenty years later, in 1981, Mitterrand visited China again on behalf of the French Socialist Party. At that time, the French presidential election was in full swing, and Mitterrand's candidate was in the spotlight. Mitterrand said that the leaders of the French Socialist Party have noted the position of China and its leaders on the world stage, and the friendly cooperation between France and China will help maintain world peace and security. Deng Xiaoping also said, "This visit is the result of the enhanced understanding between our two parties over the years, and it is also the basis for the continued development of friendship between our two parties." "The French Socialist Party became the first Socialist Party in Western Europe to establish relations with the CCP.
In 1981, Mitterrand visited the Confucius Temple in Qufu
During a visit to the Confucius Temple in Qufu, Shandong, the photographer took a photo of Mitterrand sitting by a dragon pillar. The name of the photo is interesting: Listening to the sound of a dragon. Less than three months after his return, Mitterrand was elected President of France.
In 1983, Mitterrand, who was already president of France, visited China for the third time. During this visit, China and France signed a contract for the joint construction of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant.
On May 5, 1983, Deng Xiaoping met with President Mitterrand at the Great Hall of the People
In his speech, Mitterrand said, "In 1961 I visited China for the first time in my private capacity, in 1981 I visited China on behalf of the French Socialist Party, and this time as President, on behalf of the French Republic, I visited your country. Although my status has changed during these three visits to China, my feelings for China have never changed," and "both of our countries have refused to accept power politics between countries and between people." We all believe that every country has the right to live in peace and freedom, to its own independence and security from threats from others".