Chapter 50 Chinese President Hu Jintao

In May 2005, I met with Chinese President Hu Jintao. In February of that year, North Korea issued a declaration claiming to possess nuclear weapons, and the Korean peninsula returned to the previous tense situation. After the by-election, he went to China. At that time, China was an ally that supplied 80% of North Korea's energy, led the Six-Party Talks, and made every effort to bring North Korea into the dialogue.In order to solve the North Korean nuclear issue, restoring trust was an urgent task at that time. We urgently needed a party to play the role of persuasion and let North Korea, which refused to talk at the time, attend the dialogue venue, and China was an excellent country to play this role.

On May 24, 2005, I met with President Hu Jintao in the Fujian Hall of the Great Hall of the People.In the past, President Hu would only show up at the meeting place when the guests arrived, but that time he broke the diplomatic practice and arrived early to wait for me. I was deeply impressed by his heroic demeanor under his benevolent appearance.I greeted Chairman Hu in Chinese, which I studied hard. Chairman Hu opened his eyes wide in surprise and showed a friendly smile. The talks started in a harmonious atmosphere, and the conversation mainly focused on the most important topic at present - North Korea's nuclear weapons.

"I think the main reason why the Six-Party Talks are difficult to proceed is the long-standing distrust between North Korea and the United States. In order to reduce the distrust between the two parties and enable the two sides to restart the dialogue, in addition to the two countries must make their own efforts, I think There is also a need for an intermediary coordinator, and I think China is the most suitable intermediary coordinator. China has been playing a good bridge role so far, and I look forward to China being able to play this role more actively in the future."

I emphasized that the restoration of trust between North Korea and the United States is the most important thing, and China's role is also really needed, and President Hu Jintao agrees with me. “The Chinese government holds a consistent position on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and the peaceful settlement of Korean peninsula issues through communication. There are many difficulties in returning to the Six-Party Talks because there is too much distrust between North Korea and the United States. Resolving the North Korean nuclear issue is beneficial to all countries and the international community. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, China will still work hard for the peaceful settlement of the North Korean nuclear issue.”

Hearing that China's top leader promised not to give up on solving the North Korean nuclear issue, although it is still facing a difficult situation, gave me a shot in the arm. I believe that as long as the participants in the Six-Party Talks work together, this issue will definitely be resolved. We also talked about the policy of training talents in science and engineering. Chairman Hu and I both have a background in science and engineering. I majored in electronic engineering, while Chairman Hu majored in water conservancy engineering at Tsinghua University. I used Zhongguancun, which I visited the day before the talk, as the starting point for the topic. As a result, Chairman Hu's interest immediately became high and his voice became more energetic.Beijing's Zhongguancun is China's Silicon Valley, home to prestigious universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University, as well as countless IT companies and research institutions from all over the world. There are as many as 360,000 senior talents with a bachelor's degree or above working in Zhongguancun alone.I witnessed with my own eyes the Chinese technology scene that is constantly absorbing world technology and capital, and I also felt the extraordinary momentum.

"I am very surprised that Zhongguancun, which was once a rural area, can be transformed into a science and technology park for the development of cutting-edge technology in just five years." When I expressed my surprise at the changes and development of Zhongguancun, Chairman Hu's eyes became brighter, and he told me about China's science and technology cultivation policy. "In the 1960s, in order to achieve economic development and industrialization, China trained many talents with science and engineering backgrounds. As time went by, these people also became the social leaders."

After listening to Chairman Hu's explanation, I can't help but feel anxious when I think of the fact that our people once avoided science and engineering.In the 1960s, our country advocated that only technological innovation is the way to survive and was committed to the development of science and technology.At that time, scientists frequently entered and exited the Cheong Wa Dae, and whenever my father had free time, he would go to the research site to talk to the scientists and give them support and encouragement. This became the driving force behind the development of our country’s industry.But once the economic crisis broke out, the technical department was the first to adjust the organizational structure and reduce R&D expenses, and the scientific and technological foundation collapsed instantly.After 40 years of accumulation, the foundation collapsed in an instant. In the past, only the most outstanding talents entered the field of science and engineering, but now very few people want to go to the field of science and engineering. Recently, there are even graduates with master's degrees from prestigious schools of science and engineering. As a student, I transferred to Seoul National University School of Medicine to repeat my studies.It is easy to decisively make it collapse, but it is extremely difficult to raise it again...

The conversation with Chairman Hu was very comfortable and enjoyable. I think the phrase "people in the engineering field have a common language" is the most appropriate description.