【中文版】李曦萌：中国是一个充满活力的国家

Simon Lichtenberg is from Denmark. In 1987, he became one of the first international students at Fudan University, studying Chinese language and culture. After completing his studies, he returned to Denmark to pursue further education. In 1995, he returned to China to start his business, and then established Tretorn Group, imported Nordic furniture to the Chinese market, and became a pioneer in promoting the development of China's import home furnishing industry. Since then, he has rooted himself in China and actively served in various roles in private business, cross-cultural exchange, public welfare, etc., contributing to China's development and the process of economic globalization. As a Dane who has rooted himself in China for 30 years, Simon Lichtenberg has accumulated profound insights into China's development and has a deep affection for China. On the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), our reporter interviewed Simon Lichtenberg to discuss the changes in China over the decade in his eyes and to share his understanding and insights into BRI.

by Liu Yutong, Bauhinia Magazine

A 30-year indissoluble bond with China

Reporter: You have been living in China for 30 years. What initially prompted you to choose to study and live in China?

Lichtenberg: Growing up in Denmark, which is a small country, it was common for people to speak multiple languages to communicate with the wider outside world. Most Danes speak German, English, and French, in addition to their native language, Danish.

I was interested in languages themselves, plus wanting to learn one of the hardest, most populous languages, to go to its biggest cities and best universities. That is absolutely Chinese. In 1987, I flew across the Pacific and ended up in Shanghai. Full of enthusiasm, I decided to study at the best university in Shanghai. The following story is that I asked the front desk of the hotel: "Which is the best university in Shanghai?" The first university name that came from the front desk's mouth was Fudan University. Although it's funny, this is the story between me and Fudan University. At Fudan University, I immersed myself in the Chinese language and culture. After finishing my studies, I left China briefly and then returned to Shanghai to do business. And it was also in Shanghai that I met the girl who would capture my heart and later become my wife.

Looking back, 30 years have passed since I rooted myself in China. It opened up a whole new world of different languages, rich cultures, and multiple opportunities. And it was there that I fell in love with China.

China is continuously progressing in a positive direction

Reporter: What do you think has been the biggest change in China in the past ten years?

Lichtenberg: Ten years have passed since BRI was first proposed. Over these ten years, China's development and achievements in government discipline, business environment, and poverty eradication were described as tremendous.

The discipline of the government system has increased a lot, and massive corruption has been eradicated. The eight-point decision has changed the behavior of the local government mostly in a good way, which significantly improved the whole process of people's democracy and created closer ties between the government and the public. Government staff, who got the new title "civil servant", is more focused on their work to solve people's problems. People don't need to entertain the government, and the government is mostly coming to them. As a representative of an enterprise, I have a deep understanding that governments at all levels listen carefully to the voices of enterprises and solve their problems on time. However, the potential negative side of the policy might be that the government people are not so active because they are afraid of making mistakes in case of severe punishment. Therefore, continuous optimization of the governance system is also the original intention of the party and state institutional reforms in recent years.

In terms of the business environment, the global ranking of China's business environment has been greatly improved. The government has been more professionalized in establishing a level-playing field. Take environmental governance as an example. More than 10 years ago, our company had to follow very strict environmental protection according to the company's internal requirements in terms of pollution, but some of our competitors didn't spend money on environmental protection such as VOC (volatile organic compounds) collection and cleaning, and so on. Over the past ten years, the environmental protection laws and rules and implementation have been much more strict, and every company has had to do the same. It's a good thing for the environment and also for the company's fair competition.

In terms of poverty reduction and improving people's lives, China has made remarkable progress in the past ten years. China had set a goal to eradicate extreme poverty by 2020, and it has been achieved. We have a poverty alleviation project together with the local government in Butuo to provide help for 4,300 children in a Yi minority preschool in Sichuan, Daliangshan. As someone who have been personally involved in seeing the poverty eradication happening across the country, I can attest to the significant progress that has been made. While I don't believe that poverty has been completely eradicated, a lot has been accomplished, with China lifting 700 million people out of poverty over the past forty years since its opening up. This is truly a historic achievement that no other country in the world has accomplished.

Overall, numerous changes have taken place across China over the past decade. But as for me, China constantly undergoes significant transformations because China is a society characterized by an abundance of energy, rapid development, and frequent occurrences of new and exciting phenomena, and that is one of the reasons why I am currently residing here.

China seeks to promote positive influence in a friendly manner

Reporter: This year marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI. ‬What is your understanding of the BRI?

Lichtenberg: There are several things I understand about BRI. The initiative serves as a means for China to become more connected with the rest of the world and share what it has to offer in a more structured manner. This includes practical things such as trade routes and transportation infrastructure like new ports and railroads, as well as content sharing in areas such as business, innovation, and culture.

However, some view the BRI as a form of Chinese imperialism, seeking to conquer the rest of the world. Throughout 5,000-year history, China has never been imperialistic. For instance, Zheng He visited Africa in the 15th century during the seven maritime expeditions with over 240 ships to exchange trade and goods, without any aggression or attempt at colonization. This occurred a century before the European colonization of Africa. China has never sought to take over any other country or promote its political system abroad, unlike the West, which actively promotes its political system. Instead, China seeks to protect and grow itself while also spreading positive economic and cultural influences in a friendly, non-aggressive manner. It is important to understand that the BRI is not a strategic plan for China to occupy the rest of the world but rather a means to further connect and develop mutually beneficial relationships with other countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating effects on China and the rest of the world, and different countries have taken varied approaches to handling the crisis. China's effective epidemic prevention and control measures, as well as extensive international cooperation, have minimized the death toll resulting from the novel coronavirus infection. However, in the late stage of the pandemic, the restrictions imposed due to the pandemic have had an impact on economic cooperation and exchanges, resulting in some companies being disconnected from their headquarters, and business landscape being affected by the pandemic.

Furthermore, most foreign journalists have not been in China for the past 3 years, leading to a one-sided media narrative in the West that portrays China in a negative light. The cultural and political divide has been further exacerbated by pandemic restrictions. Therefore, it is crucial for everyone to return, visit, and see for themselves. People should come to China, learn, listen, and understand what China has done and is doing.

The Chinese market holds the greatest appeal for Danish investors

Reporter: What might be the most attractive thing for Danish investors to invest in China?

Lichtenberg: The Chinese market is the most attractive thing for both short-term and long-term investments. This is a bit different from what it was twenty years ago, when Chinese manufacturing was the primary draw for investors after China joined the WTO in 2001 and opened up to the global market. At that time, many companies came to China to get their manufacturing done. In recent years, the Chinese market has matured enough that many companies that used to manufacture in China for other markets are now manufacturing for China.

With further development, while the Chinese market is still the most attractive part for Danish investors, cutting-edge technology and innovation in many industries where China is leading the way are also significant factors. For example, in electric vehicles (EVs), the Chinese brand is ahead of many other countries’ other than Tesla. After (many) years of opening (up), China is likely to become a center of innovation and manufacturing worldwide.

Reporter: In 2015, Denmark applied to become the first Nordic founding member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Could you please discuss the economic and trade relations between China and Denmark?

Lichtenberg: Denmark is a founding member of the Nordic Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and has a long-standing friendly relationship with China, having been the second Western country to establish diplomatic relations with China in 1950. Denmark is also China's only comprehensive strategic partner in Northern Europe with a Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation Agreement with China. According to the "China-Denmark Joint Work Programme", the two sides will continue to consolidate bilateral cooperation in traditional fields such as shipping, energy, clothing and medicine, and further enhance its scale and level. The 2020 update of the "China-Denmark Joint Work Programme" reflects Denmark's commitment to long-term cooperation with China, and is evidence of the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries.

BRI has a broad overall collaboration structure with the rest of the world, and strategic development agreements fit into that thinking. BRI is an opportunity and a platform for China and Denmark to deepen cooperation and promote development together.

(This article was published in the June 2023 issue of Bauhinia Magazine)