The view of the Yangtze River Bridge in Southwest China's Chongqing. Photo: VCG

Editor's Note:

For many foreigners, China may remain a mysterious land. However, for some China hands, the real China is credible, appealing and respectable. Their research and observations provide authentic reflections of China's transformation, mirroring the country's achievements and attractiveness. On October 1 of this year, the People's Republic of China (PRC) will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its founding. The Global Times launches a series titled "China Hands: My China Voyages" to share the connections, stories and insights of influential scholars and analysts who study China, narrating the changes and accomplishments they witness in China, and presenting a multifaceted view of the country. 

In the third article of the series, Arnaud Bertrand (Bertrand), a French entrepreneur and commentator on economics and geopolitics, shared his stories with Global Times (GT) reporter Li Aixin.

GT: How did you come to be connected with China? 

Bertrand: My personal connection with China began when I studied at a university in Switzerland. On the first day in the student dormitory, I met a young Chinese lady named Junjun who lived across from me. Little did I know at the time that she would become my wife. After about one or two years, we got together. Through her, I discovered China. I traveled there for the first time with her, and we eventually moved to China together. This experience opened the door for me into the country. Then I traveled a lot in China and met many more Chinese people. I also studied traditional Chinese medicine, which deepened my understanding of Chinese philosophy. 

What really attracts me to China is how profoundly different the country is. I've visited 53 countries and lived in eight, so I have some experience with various cultures. However, China stands out as the most unique.

In the West, we often perceive things as simply good or bad, influenced by our Christian roots. However, China embraces the philosophy of yin and yang, where these opposites are not seen as good or bad but as interdependent. The goal is to seek balance and harmony rather than the good destroying the bad. It is this completely different approach to understanding the world that fascinates me. 

I also have a deep appreciation for history and traditional Chinese culture. I love nothing more than to travel, especially in the countryside in China, discovering old, small traditional villages that haven't changed in 1,000 years. The people there still wear traditional costumes that have been preserved for centuries. Unfortunately, we've lost a lot of that in the West. I think China is very good at preserving its traditions and culture, which reflects a strong sense of duty.

GT: In your opinion, what are the biggest achievements that China has made in the past 75 years?

Bertrand: I think the biggest achievements are twofold. First, China has remained a sovereign country that can decide its own fate. Second, it has maintained peace. 

China made the difficult choice to remain a communist country while fostering good relations with the West. This was extremely challenging, especially since the US had won the Cold War against the Soviet Union and could have targeted China next, putting all its energy into defeating it, ideologically. Yet, China avoided that fate, which was not a given, and remained sovereign despite external threats.

The Chinese government also cracked down hard on corruption, ensuring that China remains the master of its own destiny. This demonstrates impressive statecraft, as combating corruption is no easy task.

Remaining peaceful is not easy to achieve either, because China is one of the countries with the most neighbors in the world and is constantly challenged by the West. It is literally surrounded by American military bases, with American warships and warplanes repeatedly passing near its territory. Additionally, it faces significant challenges within its own borders, particularly in relation to Xinjiang and Hong Kong. We shouldn't underestimate how difficult it is to maintain peace under these conditions. 

Remaining sovereign and peaceful has enabled China, both as a society and a state, to focus fully on economic development and to implement the necessary measures to make the country prosperous. The end result is well known: China has transitioned from a very poor and underdeveloped country in 1949 to the second-largest economy in the world today.

GT: What's your view on China's contributions to the international community over the past 75 years, especially regarding the three global initiatives, the Belt and Road Initiative and the concept of a global community of shared future?

Bertrand: All these initiatives, when examined closely, are a logical continuation of what China has contributed to the world over the past 75 years. 

First of all, China is living proof that there is no one-size-fits-all system for all countries. The Chinese experience demonstrates that each country needs to find a path that suits its own context, culture and history. This is essentially what the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Civilization Initiative advocate, in contrast to the Western approach, which suggests you can only develop by adopting their rules and becoming a mirror image of them. 

The second point is that China truly believes in multilateralism. In fact, among the world's major powers, China is likely the one that most values the importance of multilateral institutions and the establishment of rules for all countries, as opposed to a world governed by the principle of "might makes right." 

Multilateralism is the concept of a global community of shared future, which aligns with the GDI that China is trying to promote. Sadly, this is not the trend in the world today. As time passes, Western countries show less and less respect for multilateral institutions like the UN and the WTO, as well as for international law, as evidenced by the situation in Gaza. 

However, I predict that this is a temporary situation because the vast majority of the world is on China's side in this regard. They want rules to apply equally to everyone and seek a fair world where power does not dictate respect for those rules. They want the world to be a global community of shared future, rather than resembling a feudal system where the majority of the planet exists in servitude to the most powerful states.

I believe this reflects a historical trend, and China should continue to advocate for this vision, as it has been doing. These initiatives stem from 75 years of China's experience, diplomatic tradition and exchanges with the international community.

GT: What do you think reform and opening-up have brought to China and the world?

Bertrand: Reform and opening-up have brought unprecedented prosperity to China in the modern era and have had a profound effect on the world, enabling China to become a manufacturing superpower. This shift allowed Western companies to make immense profits by producing in China, giving consumers access to a wealth of products. On the downside for the West, this partially led to deindustrialization, as many companies chose to shift their production to China, driven by the allure of profits. The consequences are clear: The world's manufacturing know-how is now largely based in China, which has significant implications for the global landscape.

Yet a common misunderstanding in the West is that reform and opening-up is over. That's not true. Today, it's fair to say that we find ourselves in a paradoxical situation where the market might be much freer in Communist China than in Capitalist America, which is quite interesting.

The West is in a situation similar to China at the end of the Qing Dynasty, facing a manufacturing behemoth that dwarfs it and an increasingly innovative China. The West is making the mistake of insulating itself from competition and building walls instead of reforming and learning to compete. This approach will not protect them; it will only make them less competitive.

Ironically, the very lesson of reform and opening-up is that China grew strong by engaging with the world, while the West now risks closing itself off. To navigate this, China should promote its vision of a global community of shared future, emphasizing coexistence. The West, particularly the US, has a zero-sum mind-set, fearing that China's rise means their loss. China should continue to articulate its positive vision, where there are no winners or losers, and focus on further opening up. The more people understand China, the less fear there will be, as knowledge is a powerful antidote to negativity.