Is China a partner or an opponent? Read this book for an answer

Note: The following article is taken from the Chinese-language "Commentaries on International Affairs".

As China's President Xi Jinping embarked on the first leg of his three-nation tour of Europe on Thursday, an Italian language version of "Classics Quoted by Xi" produced by China Media Group was released on television and online by the media agencies Mediaset and Class Editori in Italy and in Italian-speaking communities around the world.

Jiang Jianguo (C), deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and Paolo M. Reale (5th, L), president of Rome Convitto Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele II, an Italian boarding school, pose for a photo with Italian students at a seminar on "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" in Rome, Italy, March 20, 2019. About 200 guests, including officials and political figures from China and Italy, engaged in in-depth discussions at the event, which took place on the eve of Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the European nation. [Photo: Xinhua/Zheng Huansong]

In Rome the day before the release of the series, more than 200 readers from China and Italy exchanged their views about the first and second volumes of President Xi's book "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China". Among them were the principal and eight of the students of a boarding school in the city, who had written to President Xi. In reply, they received a letter from the president along with a signed copy of the second volume of his book.

The two volumes of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" are a collection of the thoughts, ideas, and theories of China's president on governance. They've been well received in more than 160 countries and regions, and have been translated into 24 languages. They have become the most influential works by a Chinese leader overseas since the country started its journey of reform and opening up 40 years ago. And the television series "Classics Quoted by Xi", which is based on President Xi's speeches, articles, and conversations, has been translated into languages including English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, and Italian. It has been widely distributed to an overseas audience of more than 100 million people. José Luis Manzano, the founder of Argentina's media organization Grupo América, said the series introduces the audience to the influence of traditional Chinese thought on society in China and elsewhere, and the role that ancient Chinese philosophy and culture can play as a guide for the modern world.

At the seminar on Wednesday, readers from Italy's political, business, academic, and publishing circles said that "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" had opened a window through which international observers could understand the achievements of, motivations and prospects for China's development. They said the ideas proposed in the book were of great practical importance when it comes to the task of developing a community with a shared future for mankind and reshaping the international order, along with addressing matters of state and global governance. In their opinion, this work is becoming a golden key for the promotion of people-to-people exchanges between China and the rest of the world, and has sparked a consensus among the peoples of the world, especially the young, on the importance of pursuing a better life.

China cannot reach its development goals independently from the rest of the world. And the continued development of the world needs China. Is China a partner or an opponent? Is China offering the world development opportunities or debt traps? These are questions people around the world have been seeking to answer. And "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" provides the most authentic, pragmatic, and authoritative answers to these questions. As the former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt said, "a book like this will help foreign readers to gain a better and more objective understanding of China from historical and other perspectives."

As we witness changes unfolding in our world on a scale unseen in a century, and world powers wrestle with questions about the future and how to best address the risks facing mankind, the right choices must always be derived from mutual understanding and mutual trust. And "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" is the bridge that's needed to build mutual understanding and trust between China and the rest of the world. It doesn't shy away from concerns and problems, but addresses in an earnest and straightforward way the issues China faces in its development, and the shared development challenges facing people around the world. It is President Xi's roadmap for fulfilling the desires of the people of China and the path ahead for reform and opening up.

The European Commission recently set out a 10-point plan calling for more cooperation with China on the fight against climate change, bolstering world peace, security, and development, and building more balanced and reciprocal economic relationship. The plan demonstrates their strong desire to work with China, but it also highlights some of their worries. A close reading of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" would, without doubt, provide affirming answers to these concerns.

On multiple occasions, Xi Jinping has said: "The people's wish for a good life is our goal." This simple remark echoes the core of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, which is essentially "our work should focus on serving the people. " The belief also reverberates among the global readers of "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China": The Italian edition won a Pavese Prize literary award for its congruence with Pavese's own love for his country and its social progress.

"Only by looking back at the roads that have passed, comparing the roads of others, and looking forward to the roads ahead, to find out where we are coming from and where we are going, can many problems be identified profoundly and handled accurately." These words by President Xi are at the essence of how he seeks to address the issues shared by the people in China and elsewhere in the world. The people of all nations dream of peace and development, and in their pursuit of this dream, more and more of them have come to realize that China is a friend, not an opponent; its development is a source of stability, not turmoil; and it is a wellspring of peace, not conflict. This is why the proposals that President Xi detailed in "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China", such as a community with a shared future for mankind and the Belt and Road Initiative, have earned praise from people around the world.