Scholar says majority of Europeans have respect for China's progress

By Wu Liming

BERLIN, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The vast majority of Europeans are never hostile toward China as shown by the European media, a renowned scholar on Sino-European relations from Brussels told Xinhua recently.

"There continues to be great respect for China's progress," said Stanley Crossick, the founding chairman of the European Policy Center, a Brussels-based think-tank, while talking about the supposed biased European media coverage on the Tibet issue and the Beijing Olympics.

In an email to Xinhua, Stanley said such media did not represent the voice of the majority of Europeans, who would not want to spoil the Olympics.

"What you hear are the voices of a minority of anti-China activists who have successfully magnified their voices by an effective lobbying and public relations campaign," he added.

Since the March 14 riots in Lhasa, Xinhua has exchanged emails and phone calls with Stanley, who once visited Tibet.

"The reports you are rightly complaining about are written by 'popular,' rather than serious, journalists," he said.

"With newscasts and the internet active seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, the pressure is permanently on the journalists to report news, which sometimes leads them to make up news," he added.

Stanley went to Tibet by train in October 2006 and he was impressed by the rapid social-economic development in the region.

"The economic development has clearly been considerable. The train was obviously very impressive," he said.

In addition, what impressed Stanley most were "watching the monks in the monastery and Tibetans in the streets and fields prostrating themselves again and again" in their religious worship.

Stanley said he did not observe any "culture genocide" the Dalai Lama accused the Chinese government of carrying out in Tibet, saying that modernization and globalization is a trend that has also made a huge impact on Tibet's social and cultural life.

Starting from April 13, Stanley paid a two-week visit to China and exchanged views with his colleagues and students in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou.

"Six weeks ago, Tibet was not a discussion topic in Europe. Now, Tibet is a black cloud overshadowing the China-EU relationship. Tibet has been raised at every meeting I have had in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou," Stanley said.

In another email to Xinhua before he left China, Stanley said he was "deeply saddened" by the cloud.

"After spending two weeks in China, I realize how deeply Chinese, of all ages and walks of life, feel about Tibet and European attitudes," he said.

"I am deeply saddened by the feeling that you have been let down by Europe, with a resulting loss of trust in us," he told Xinhua.

As a matter of fact, European states all recognize the one-China policy.

"No-one responsible is questioning the one-China policy or that Tibet is an integral part of China," Stanley said.

"It's important to distinguish the statements of EU and Member State leaders from those of parliamentarians, NGOs and the media," he added.

After he came back to Brussels, Stanley told Xinhua that he was worried about the damage to the Sino-European ties resulting from the distorted the media coverage on Tibet and the Beijing Olympics.

"We must work together to eliminate our mis-perceptions about each other, increase mutual understanding and rebuild mutual trust," he added.

"You have the goodwill of probably over 99 percent of Europeans wanting there to be a spectacularly successful Games."