4th DRC Journey of Culture to Yunnan
2018-06-26

The Yunnan Province publicity event organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in February 2017 left a deep impression on the foreign envoys, as Minister Wang Yi hoped the diplomats would establish closer ties with the southwestern province in the economic, cultural and people-to-people exchange areas. As the follow-up move to push forward Public Diplomacy and offer a chance for the foreign diplomatic missions to learn more about the Chinese culture, benefit from China’s achievements of development and build a bridge of friendship for cooperation between different countries, at the invitation of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Yunnan Province Government, the HSC organized the 4^th DRC Journey of Culture to Yunnan from 15^th to 20^th May 2018. Nearly 50 senior diplomats, including 13 ambassadors, for instance from Samoa, Jamaica, Ethiopia, Slovenia and Equator, participated in with their families. Ms. Jiang Qi, DSB executive deputy director general, Miss Lin Li, HSC deputy general manager, and He Di, DSB General Office director, accompanied the delegation for the visit.

 Attaching tremendous importance to the visit, leaders of all levels of the governments of Yunnan province met with the senior level diplomatic delegation, headed by Ms. Jiang, wherever they went, including such dignitaries like Li Malin, vice governor of the province, Wang Xiliang, mayor of Kunming City, Yang Zhaohui, mayor of Pu’er City, and Luo Hongjiang, governor of the Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture. The hosts, vice governor Ma for instance, briefed the delegation on the unique strengths of the province and different regions in terms of geography, economy, culture, infrastructure construction and key industry, requesting the envoys to contribute with their expertise to the provincial pursuit for development and opening to the outside world for further friendly exchanges and stronger economic and trade ties.

 Ms. Jiang thanked the provincial government, particularly the Foreign Affairs Office, for their support and assistance, and said, to answer President Xi’s call “To connect China’s development with the world and blaze a trail forward with proactive interactions for mutual benefit and win-win outcome”, the DSB and HSC organized the trip to offer an opportunity for the envoys to learn about Yunnan’s history, culture, scenery, natural resources, ethnic harmony and enormous economic potential. The DSB was ready, as always, to contribute to China’s diplomatic pursuit by assisting the international diplomatic community to get into close contact with the southwestern province for opportunities of wider collaboration.

 Mr. Tapusalaia Terry Toomata, Samoan ambassador to China, thanked the provincial government for their hospitality in behalf of the senior diplomats in the delegation and commented that his colleagues and him were largely amazed at the beautiful natural sceneries, diverse traditional cultures and religions, bountiful resources and thriving health care industry in the province. He believed that the visit would undoubtedly increase the international diplomatic community’s understanding for the two sides to work together in building up a bridge of cooperation. The Maldivian ambassador thanked the DSB and HSC for organizing the trip, as the diverse cultural events presented by the DRC helped deepen friendship with the missions. As his country would establish a consulate general at Kunming City, it would definitely strengthen the friendly ties between the two countries. He hoped more people from China would go to his beautiful country for sightseeing. Mr. Tau’aika ’Uta’atu, ambassador of Tonga, highly appreciated DRC team’s efforts, and agreed that the DSB and diplomatic missions had established profound amity through close contacts and communications. He believed the tour would bring to the diplomatic missions deeper understanding in the socioeconomic development of the inland province through firsthand experience of the local culture to create chances of broader cooperation. Finally, he extended invitation to the hosts to visit his beautiful island country.

 At Kunming City, the delegation visited the Yunnan Baiyao Group to get a glimpse at the traditional Chinese pharmaceutical industry and heard the local vision for future development of the health-care service. The visitors also toured the Lunan Stone Forest and Yunnan Museum and attended a folk music and dance gala show, where they were treated to spectacular sceneries, exhibits and performances for a taste of the local culture and natural sights. At Pu’er City, the delegation visited the Yunnan International Coffee Exchange and eco-tea plantation. Tasting the quality coffee and tea recommended by Minister Wang Yi, the envoys gave their appreciation for the local “green economy”. The visitors also covered a local tropical botanic garden and some ethnic minority villages of the Dai people that offered admirable natural sights and folk traditions. For more modern achievement, the visitors were shown to a hydropower station.

 The envoys came to close contact with Yunnan’s openness and self-confidence in the few days of touring and were impressed at the flourishing energy and immense potential for development. They all expressed the wish to go into deeper cooperation in numerous areas with Yunnan. The Costa Rican ambassador and a Korean diplomat promised to help establish friendly-city ties between cities in their own countries with Kunming and Pu’er as well as enter into closer cooperation in tourism, agriculture and economic endeavor. The Samoan ambassador said that he would be happy to start working with the Yunnan pharmaceutical group to promote the Baiyao in his home country. The Slovenian ambassador declared that he would push for more dialogues between Yunnan province and his country and engage in cooperation in areas of Karst geological prospecting and other areas of research. The counselor of cultural affairs of Spain said he would help establish ties with the Xishuangbana Prefecture to introduce Spanish language teaching to the local education institutions. The Ethiopian ambassador went into discussion with the general manager of the Yunnan International Coffee Exchange Center to pursue for further cooperation between his country and Yunnan. The local officials looked earnestly forward to add the Pu’er quality coffee to the Duty Free Shop for Diplomatic Missions in Beijing to offer a chance to more diplomats to get to know and help promote the product.

 When the delegation came back to Beijing following the journey, ambassadors of Mauritius, Barbados, Equator and Slovak, deputy head of the Spanish mission, chargé d'affaires of Malian embassy and diplomats from embassies of Japan and Korea, for instance, sent letters of appreciation for the successful trip together with acclaims for the meticulous organization and caring service. Such a journey of culture offered a unique opportunity for the envoys to understand the development and experience the changes in the southwestern province. The DRC team’s professionalism and experience left a deep impression on the diplomats and their families, who hoped the DRC would provide more opportunities for deeper friendship and more exchanges.

 The success of the event owes tremendously to the DSB and HSC leadership’s support and we are going to continue endeavoring to create novel ways for more diverse and higher quality services and make greater contribution to China’s cooperation and exchange with the world and serve the international diplomatic community in Beijing.