Chapter 64 Commander Ruoding overwhelms France, Paris is in distress and alarms the ruling and opposition parties

On December 20, 2001, Wu Jianmin and his wife Shi Yanhua went out in the embassy car. When the car was driving on the bustling Champs Elysees Avenue, four unidentified men on motorcycles followed it.Just as the car stopped at a red light, a motorcyclist following behind smashed the rear window of the car with an iron chain in an attempt to rob Shi Yanhua of the handbag on the seat.At this critical juncture, the traffic light turned green, the car started quickly, and the robbers got nothing.Then Ambassador Wu quickly called the police. In recent years, the law and order situation in France has been worrying.According to French statistical data, the criminal crime rate in France rose by 8% in 2001, among which theft and robbery cases rose sharply. In July 2001, the Chinese government issued a warning to Chinese tourists going to France to be careful of being robbed.Because French criminals usually target Chinese tourists in airports, shopping malls and tourist attractions.

The French government was shocked after the news of Ambassador Wu and his wife's distress on the streets of Paris was disclosed by the French newspaper Le Figaro.The robbers in Paris actually robbed foreign ambassadors in broad daylight, and the victim was an internationally influential diplomat. This made the French government lose face in the world, and especially caused embarrassment to the then French Socialist Prime Minister Jospin. In April, he participated in the presidential election and challenged the incumbent President Chirac.With law and order set to be a major issue in the presidential election, France's right-wing opposition has sharply criticized Jospin's government over rising crime, accusing it of being weak in the face of crime.

The French people were also extremely angry at the distress of Wu Jianmin and his wife.Many strangers wrote letters to Wu Jianmin and his wife, expressing their sincere concern and anger towards the robbers.In a letter to Wu Jianmin, a Parisian political scientist said that the French government cannot even guarantee the safety of the Chinese ambassador, which is a disgrace to France. This is the prestige that Wu Jianmin has established among the French public, and it is the result of his sincere communication with the French people over the past few years. He still remembers being "baptized" by the French media for the first time when he first arrived in Paris. It was a French tradition that every new ambassador of a major country would attend a breakfast meeting prepared by the "French Association of Diplomatic Correspondents" and accept "questions" from French reporters. ".Wu Jianmin's sincerity and talkativeness excited the French media and aroused the French public's interest in Wu Jianmin.

Some people say that wherever Ambassador Wu goes, there will be a "Chinese style".This is not an exaggeration, especially in France, Wu Jianmin is not only an excellent spokesperson for the Chinese government, but also a "cultural ambassador" for the Chinese people. After Wu Jianmin came to France, he found that although France is a highly developed country and the exchanges between China and France are quite extensive, the French society, including politicians, entrepreneurs and ordinary people, still do not have enough understanding of China's history and today's basic national conditions.As an ambassador, Wu Jianmin hopes that he can act as a bridge of communication.Therefore, as long as he is invited to speak in Paris, he generally accepts the invitation.Not only that, he also took the initiative to visit other places in France.Everywhere he went, he had to do four things: first, call on the local top executives, such as the mayor, the governor, the chairman of the provincial and regional councils, etc.; second, speak to the local Chamber of Commerce and Industry; third, , to be interviewed by the media; fourth, to visit and learn about the strengths and advantages of various parts of France.

The French business circles really want to know about China, but due to false media reports, they have a lot of doubts about China, and they don't give China a high score.This is mainly because after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, socialism in the world was at a low ebb, and the Western media, especially the American media, felt complacent, complacent, and arrogant.Under the guidance of such a dominant ideology, the Western media always have a dislike for China, thinking that this is not good, and that is not.Wu Jianmin believes that the Western media's "prejudice" and "arrogance" towards China are no exception in France.

In order to kill the arrogance of the media, Wu Jianmin found a way to deal with the Western media.Once he was chatting with some leading figures in the French press in a beautiful hall. When talking about the distorted reports of the Chinese reality by the French media, he said: If I say that this hall will collapse tomorrow, you will definitely say that this guy is crazy .But if someone says something about China that is a thousand times more absurd than this, there are people here who will believe him and say that he is knowledgeable and an expert.For example, 10 years ago, your newspapers said that "the Chinese government is going to collapse, the economy is collapsing, reforms are over, and civil war is about to break out." 10 years have passed, what do you see?Those so-called prophecies have been proved to be wrong. China has entered the period of the fastest development in history, and the life of Chinese people has never changed so fast as it is now.Of those who said those words, has anyone done self-criticism?Where did the person who said these words go?The other party listened and was greatly touched.

He also often discusses democratic issues with some French people, including sinologists.He said: First, there is not only one model of democracy in the world. French democracy is different from that of the United States. Why should Chinese democracy be the same as French democracy?Different countries have different political and social environments, economic development conditions, and historical and cultural backgrounds. On this issue, we must also accept diversity.The French are very opposed to "single thought" and single model, which is also "single thought".The world is rich and colorful, and democracy cannot accept only one model.Second, democracy is a gradual process, and each country has a different development process, and we cannot insist on the same.During the French Revolution in 1789, "liberty, equality, and fraternity" were proposed, but when did France give women the right to vote?Women did not have the right to vote in France until 1945, 156 years later.China has experienced a feudal society for more than two thousand years, and Chinese democracy has also experienced a process of self-development.

Wu Jianmin confidently believes that for China, there are three points that are tenable: first, time is on China's side.In any case, China is developing. Despite all kinds of twists and turns, China is moving forward, and the pace of progress has never been as fast as it is now.Second, the truth is on China's side.Presenting a large number of facts is enough to show whether China has progressed or lagged behind, and whether the Chinese people's life has improved or regressed. These are all clear at a glance.Third, history is on China's side.Chinese people have been bullied by Westerners in history.When it comes to history, the West should feel ashamed of China.If they come to teach China a lesson again, the Chinese will never accept it.

The curator of the Château d'If Museum in Marseille had never been to China before, but because of the broadcast on Chinese TV, he went to China to hold the Château d'If exhibition.After returning to China, she met Wu Jianmin and said that Shanghai and Guangzhou are full of traffic and the economy is very active. Compared with Marseille, she felt deserted after returning. Thanks to Wu Jianmin's patient and meticulous work, the French's prejudice against China has obviously changed, and their interest in China has increased. On January 5, 2003, the "Chinese Cultural Center" in Paris was formally established.This is another major event after the "Chinese Culture Week" in 1999 and the "Chinese Culture Season" in 2000 proposed by Wu Jianmin.The center was established in accordance with the "Agreement on the Establishment and Status of Cultural Centers" signed by the governments of France and China in November 2002.The center is the first cultural center established by China in a western country. Cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and France, various cultural activities are carried out, so that the French public can better understand China and enhance the friendship between the two countries.

The center is located in the Montesquieu residence on the famous Promenade d'Orsay in Paris.On the day of its establishment, more than 200 people including Wu Jianmin, people from French cultural circles, overseas Chinese enterprises in France, celebrities and leaders of cultural and art circles, and representatives of Chinese students studying in France attended the inauguration ceremony.In the past few months, it has attracted millions of French people from all walks of life to visit. On the morning of May 16, the wives of French dignitaries who have never been to China visited the China Cultural Center in Paris together, fulfilling their wish.They are: Ms. Anna-Marie Raffarin, wife of the French Prime Minister, Ms. Marie-Pierre Wertzer, wife of the French Minister of Cooperation and French-speaking Affairs, and Martina Buss, wife of the French Secretary of State for Transport and Maritime Affairs Ms. Luo, Ms. Stephane Muslie, the wife of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of France, in addition, the wife of the president of the French luxury goods group, the wife of the director of the French Aerospace Agency, the wife of the president of the French Federation of Insurance, the wife of the president of the French Alstom Group and The wife of the president of the French Delez Group also came to visit excitedly.

As soon as Prime Minister Raffarin's wife entered the gate, she said to the welcoming Ambassador Wu Jianmin and his wife Shi Yanhua: "Visiting China is a wish of mine. Due to various reasons, I was not able to visit China with my husband last month. I am very sorry. Today I brought all the wives who were going to visit China together here to visit China in Paris—the newly established Paris China Cultural Center, which is also a wish.” She also said to the Chinese diplomats and center staff present: “ I've never been to China, but when I left the center, I became someone who knew something about China." Ms. Busslow, wife of the Secretary of State for Transport and Maritime Affairs of France who accompanied the visit, said happily: "My daughter is now studying Chinese at the famous Alsace middle school in Paris. This middle school has taught Chinese for more than 40 years. I want to let me My daughter and her classmates visited the center and learned about China from here." Several wives said: Chinese culture is extensive and profound, and there are not a few French people like them who want to know more about Chinese culture. The establishment of the Chinese Cultural Center is very necessary, and there are many things that can be done for French-Chinese cultural exchanges. Ambassador Wu told them that the "Year of Chinese Culture" in the autumn of 2003 will bring more surprises from China to the French people. Ambassador Wu Jianmin's contribution to the political and cultural exchanges between China and France during his term of office is obvious to all.For this reason, the Chinese and French governments and people will never forget it.On the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Gers in southwestern France invited him to a dinner and awarded him the title of "Musketeer" in recognition of this Sino-French "cultural ambassador".