Multinational corporate executives,mainstream media journalists and youth leaders marvel at China’s miracle while visiting Ningxia

Liu Chang

T o let the world have a more real， comprehensive and objective understanding of China， present a true picture of China and promote cooperation between China and other countries， the CPAFFC invited a delegation of more than 60 members to visit the Ningxia Hui autonomous region， where the multinational corporate executives， journalists from mainstream media and youth leaders from 22 countries attended the First China （Ningxia） International Wine Culture and Tourism Expo and a symposium called “China in My EyesNingxia”. The CPAFFC initiated the symposium.

The government of Ningxia and the region’s Communist Party of China Committee attached great importance to this event. Party Secretary Chen Runer and government Chairwoman Xian Hui of the region met with the delegation. Vice Chairman Wang Heshan accompanied the delegation during the major events of the visit.

While in Ningxia， the delegation attended the First China （Ningixa） International Wine Culture and Tourism Expo and Ningxia Development Planning and Major Industries Promotion Conference， visited Minning Town， a Juncao breeding base， a white mushroom production program， a wine production base at the foot of Mount Helan， Baijitan Natural Reserve， a rural ecology park， solar panel industries and Kocel.

They witnessed the tremendous transformations that had been taking place in Ningxia， learned the history and achievements of the joint efforts by Fujian and Ningxia in fighting poverty and the late-mover advantage and the development trend of western China. President Lin Songtian of the CPAFFC hosted a luncheon for journalists from home and abroad. Both sides had a candid and in-depth discussion on topics of concern.

At the conclusion of the visit on Sept 29， the CPAFFC and Ningxia government co-hosted the “China In My Eyes-Ningxia” symposium. Lin Songtian， Wang Heshan and former South African Ambassador Gert Grobler delivered speeches at the symposium. Youth leaders from Asia， Africa and Latin America shared their feelings and gains during the visit.

Lin said the friendship association had invited friends from around the world to join “China In My EyesNingxia” in hope that delegation members would make use of the visit to better see， hear and read about China， have a better understanding of China’s miraculous development， its development road， development concepts and strategy of governance.“It is also a great opportunity for them to learn about the arduous journey China has taken to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects， the miracle it has created and the huge potential for international cooperation and to discuss and promote future cooperation，” Lin said.

Lin said the five-day visit had shown the visitors three miracles. The golden miracle： Minning town in the past 25 years has turned arid sands into“golden sands” to lift its residents out of poverty. The purple miracle： Ningxia has developed its world-renowned wine industry， which was built on barren land. The green miracle： the Ningxia people have worked to build a green Great Wall， creating a green miracle in which people advanced and sands retreated and achieving a better understanding of the great thought that“green is gold”. They also saw that under the Belt and Road Initiative， western China is making full use of its geographical and late-mover advantage to embrace a brighter future of highquality development. There are new hopes people in other parts of the world rise out of poverty and lead a better life.

Lin said that Ningxia’s story is the story of a phoenix reaching nirvana. “There are many things we can learn from Ningxia，” he said， citing upholding leadership of the CPC and socialism with Chinese characteristics as the fundamental principle； taking the people-centered and coordinated approach to development as the prerequisite； implementing targeted measures for different regions as the correct way to fight poverty； using the endogenous power of the people as the source of strength； and adopting extensive consultation， joint contribution and shared benefits as the right path. He expressed hope that delegates will tell others what they had seen and heard in Ningxia objectively. He also hoped more people from around the world would learn more about Ningxia and better understand China， draw inspiration from Chinese practices and contribute to common development of the world.

Wang Heshan welcomed the delegation on behalf of Ningixa government. He urged members of the delegation to see for themselves Ningxia’s development and thus acquire a deeper understanding of the profound content and practical significance of the CPC’s concept of governance. He hoped the delegation would see the important opportunities enjoyed by Ningxia in a new era， turn those opportunities into results that benefits all sides， actively tell the story of Ningxia and China in an authentic， stereoscopic and comprehensive manner， promote the friendship and cooperation between China and other countries and contribute wisdom and strength to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Grobler said， this trip has gone beyond his imagination. By visiting Minning， the delegation witnessed the Ningxia miracle of development and Chinese miracle of development， better understood the people-centered approach to development held by the CPC and General Secretary Xi Jinping and the fundamental characteristics of socialism striving for common prosperity， as well as the implications of “Green is gold” initiated by General Secretary Xi and the remarkable achievements by China in practicing the concept of harmony between man and nature. The former South African ambassador said he was most profoundly impressed by the highly effective and creative planning， persistence and relentless efforts of Ningxia people， who “have decisively bid farewell to poverty and are more confident and happier than ever before.”

The youth leaders spoke of what they had seen and how they felt during their visit in Ningxia. Mariatu Kargbo， founder of the Sierra Leone China Friendship Association， said she deeply felt that without the CPC and the coordinated efforts made by Fujian and Ningxia in fighting poverty， Ningxia would not have made such great achievements. The development miracle of Ningxia has proved that through solidarity and concerted efforts on development， any dream can come true， she said.

Maruyama Aya， a Japanese graduate student from Tsinghua University， said， Ningxia’s desertification prevention and treatment reaffirmed the saying that “everything is possible in China” and fully explained that “when people are firm in their convictions， the nation will flourish”. She said young people need to learn from Wang Youde， the excellent treeplanter of Ningxia， and go wherever there is a need as Wang did.

Daniel， a Kenyan PhD student from Communication University of China， said that the fact that Ningxia people have built a large vineyard in a desert demonstrated Chinese people’s creativity and how hard they work. He hoped developing countries would learn from these experiences.

Ren Ruixue， a Peruvian undergraduate student from Peking University， said Ningxia has not only achieved innovative development in science and technology but also successfully transformed people’s ideas and culture and realized cultural innovation while maintaining traditions. Other countries need to learn from it， he said.

Pero， a Rwandan graduate student from China University of Geosciences， quoted a Confucius saying that “in any group of three men walking in a street， there must be one whom I can learn from” to support his allegation that the results and experiences in ecological protection and green development Ningxia has achieved in water preservation， preventing desertification and restoring forests by planting trees deserve to be studied and learned from by the rest of the world.

Li Shihan， a Cambodian undergraduate student from Tianjin Normal University， praised Ningxia’s achievement in turning dry desert into green land， noting that forests are restored on the mountains and people are better off. “It demonstrates the government’s efficiency and people’s wisdom，” he said， adding that the way they combined economic development with ecological preservation is worth learning.

All the delegation members agreed that the trip had opened their eyes to Ningxia’s miraculous development. They now have a deeper understanding of China. They hoped to visit more places in China and enrich their knowledge of the country. They said they can now better tell the story of China and convey the voice of China.