Fifty years ago
September 21, 1971
The 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly was held in New York
New China at the age of 22
At that time, the legitimate seats had not yet been restored
The outcome of the three proposals awaits
A month later, on October 25
There were 76 votes to 35, with 17 abstentions
The "two-Arab proposal" won overwhelmingly
Representatives of many African member States
Danced at the venue
That year
Hua Liming, 32, is working at a cadre school
I know it from the loudspeaker
News of the restoration of seats in the United Nations by New China
"I was ready to take root in the countryside for a lifetime
I don't think this has much to do with me anymore
But as a Chinese I still feel proud
After waiting for decades, this seat was finally restored! ”
Why are they dancing?
Fifty years
China, how to "make friends"?
Watch CCTV news "Theory of Relativity" reporter Zhuang Shengchun
dialogue
Former Chinese ambassador to foreign countries
Former Executive Director of the United Nations Association of China
Hua Liming
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△ Hua Liming recalls his return to the United Nations for fifty years: Friend, why did you dance?
This photograph was taken on November 15, 1971. Qiao Guanhua, then Vice Foreign Minister, led the Chinese delegation to appear in the United Nations Conference Hall for the first time. When the reporter asked about his mood, he laughed loudly, and later some media called this moment "the laughter of history."
Before laughing, there are many obstacles.
In the 22 years since the founding of New China, it has been blocked from the door of the United Nations. The first ten years of "dragging", the United States behind the scenes to manipulate, shelved the issue. By the 1960s, the pattern of absolute superiority between Europe and the United States in the United Nations was gradually broken, and the United States began to shift from "procrastination" to "dependence," describing the simple procedural issue of restoring China's legitimate seat in the United Nations as an "important issue" that required a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly to adopt.
Hua Liming: The United States controls the voting machine of the United Nations, and albania and Algeria, which have relatively good relations with us, raise the issue of new China's restoration of the legitimate seat of the United Nations every year, but every year the United States controls most of the countries and rejects this proposal. After Kissinger's visit to China, a considerable number of countries felt that since the United States and China had improved their relations, they had also begun to establish diplomatic relations with China. But by October 25, 1971, the restoration of seats in the United Nations was somewhat unexpected by China.
Zhuang Shengchun: Was it unexpected?
Hua Liming: Right. At the beginning of the scene, I saw on TV that many representatives of African countries cheered and even danced to celebrate at the scene of the United Nations General Assembly, which was very touching.
Zhuang Shengchun: In that era, what did we rely on to make these friends to support us?
Hua Liming: After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, due to Western propaganda and demonization, many developing countries believed that China, a communist country, wanted to export revolution and launch war, and was afraid of China. Until the Bandung Conference in 1955, after which Premier Zhou visited fourteen countries in Asia, Africa and Europe, a large number of Asian and African countries learned about the "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" and learned that China is a new type of big country, treating each other as equals, not interfering in internal affairs, and willing to help them. This also sowed the seeds for so many African countries to "carry" us into the United Nations on October 25, 1971.
Zhuang Shengchun: The "Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence" was a public good provided by China in the diplomatic field at that time, and everyone welcomed it. But why are you so happy, cheering, dancing?
Hua Liming: Not only has China regained its seat, they also feel that their voices can be recognized in the United Nations, which makes them very happy. After China regained its seat, the face of the United Nations has changed greatly, and a big country has spoken for the developing countries, and it is no longer controlled by the two superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union. I think that in the future, China will continue to play our role as a representative of developing countries and speak up for the countries of the third world.
Before being sent to the cadre school, Hua Liming went to work at the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan for six years in 1965, working as an interpreter for the ambassador. At that time, Afghanistan had not yet experienced successive invasions by the Soviet Union and the United States, and Hua Liming witnessed a rare period of local stability.
Zhuang Shengchun: This year marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11. You have worked in afghanistan in foreign affairs, and looking back on these two decades, what is the most prominent feeling?
Hua Liming: When I was there, Afghanistan was poor but stable, and I was very sympathetic to the Afghan people. Now the United States should withdraw its troops, but it should withdraw its troops responsibly, not pat itself on the back and leave, leaving a mess for the local people to deal with. I think that the problems in Afghanistan must be solved by the Afghans themselves, and that a central government that everyone can agree with will govern the country, and that outsiders should not interfere. Help them, help them negotiate peace, but don't meddle in internal matters.
△ After the outbreak of the Afghan war in 2001
A building inside the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan was destroyed
Hua Liming once lived here
Zhuang Shengchun: Foreign Minister Wang Yi once mentioned that China wants to hold high the banner of true multilateralism, how to understand the three words "real"?
Hua Liming: In the 1980s, a large amount of US money flowed into the world, and there was globalization. But in fact, the United States is more unilateral in politics, such as the invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq... True multilateralism is a matter for everyone to discuss and handle, and it cannot be decided by one or two countries.
Zhuang Shengchun: But today, there are still many problems with the international order and rules. What should the international rules be established under the values of the community of shared future for mankind that we advocate?
Hua Liming: The new international rules should abandon the concept that a strong country must be hegemonic and treat all countries equally. Great powers should use their rich resources, such as military and economic resources... To help all countries in the world solve the problems of poverty, war and chaos, and to achieve peaceful development in the true sense, everyone must decide the affairs of the world.
Zhuang Shengchun: What China is doing now may be setting a benchmark and telling others that it can also be done.
Hua Liming: Yes, that's right.
A year after New China restored its legitimate seat in the United Nations, Hua Liming's fate also took a turn for the better. Because of the development of relations between China and Iran, he was working in the fields when he received a notice that Beijing had called and rushed back early the next morning.
The next night, Hua Liming appeared in the Great Hall of the People because the Iranian queen and prime minister were visiting, and Premier Zhou Enlai needed a Persian interpreter.
Hua Liming originally studied English. In 1958, Premier Zhou Enlai issued instructions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to select a group of students to study Asian and African, and Hua Liming was among them, and at that time he "did not know which country Persian was spoken."
"From elementary school to university, we are all cultivated by the state, watching the republic flourish, and the only dream is that the country is rich and strong, and I will do whatever the country needs me to do." Today, Hua Liming, who is more than 80 years old, still remembers that when he served again as Premier Zhou Enlai's Persian interpreter in 1975, the Iranian princess invited Premier Zhou to visit Iraq, and the seriously ill Premier Zhou looked at Hua Liming and others who were accompanying him and said: "I don't think it is okay, I want to go in the future to these young people here." ”
In the CCTV News "Theory of Relativity" program, young alumni of Beijing University of Foreign Chinese sent a video asking: What suggestions do you have for becoming a diplomat?
Making friends and turning enemies into friends is the key word that Hua Liming hangs on his lips, and it is also the mission of a diplomat in his mind. In his view, the task of being an ambassador is not only to fight, but also to do work to win the understanding of China by the ruling party, and more importantly, to win the support of public opinion and the public for China in the host country. "The United States holds the right to speak in the world, and we have a lot of work to do to offset the negative effects of smear and demonization and create a good image of China." A new generation of diplomats has a heavier task than we did then. ”
The reason is that 80% of the wealth created by mankind in the past five hundred years is enjoyed by developed countries, and the rules of the game are also set by them, and this situation will definitely change with the rise of China. In addition, China also offers the world another solution in terms of institutions, and non-Western countries can develop like China, which makes capitalist countries very afraid. "Two fears have caused them to suppress China." Therefore, if young people want to engage in diplomatic work, they must be mentally prepared and not afraid of being scolded. ”
Executive Producer 丨 Wang Shanshan Zhang Ou
Producer 丨 Zhuang Shengchun Wang Jie
Reporter 丨Zhuang Shengchun
Editor-in-chief 丨 Shang Xiaoyu Zhang Zongyao
Technology 丨Xia Wen Wang Zi Tong
Editor 丨Tan Yao
Clip 丨 Zhao Bowen
Camera 丨Li Zuo, Wang Jianqiang, Xue Penglong
Visual 丨Wang Shaohua Yu Jiang
Co-ordination 丨 Ji Fang