“China Has Played An Active Role in Colombia’s Peace Process”.docVIP

“China Has Played An Active Role in Colombia’s Peace Process” 　　RARELY do we hear so much news from one country in just a few days. On September 26， the Colombian government signed a historic peace deal with the FARC guerrillas. On October 2， this deal was surprisingly rejected by a plebiscite. Then， on October 7， it was announced that the President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos had won the Nobel Peace Prize. 　　Meanwhile， in October Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made an official visit to the South American country to reaffirm China’s support for the peace process. We interviewed the new Ambassador of Colombia to China， Mr. Oscar Rueda， to get his thoughts on Colombia’s recent developments. 　　China Today （CT）： Mr. Ambassador， would you like to comment on the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to President Juan Manuel Santos？ 　　Oscar Rueda （OR）： The members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee have sent us an excellent message， because the Nobel Peace Prize is given not only to those who have achieved peace， but to those who seek peace. The Nobel Prize has always been understood as recognition， but this Nobel Prize has provided support， because now Colombians ?C both those who chose “yes” and “no”in the plebiscite ?C are committed to that peace. 　　The Nobel Prize gives us the support that we need to achieve what we are aiming for in this process of renegotiation： peace. 　　CT： Immediately after hearing the adverse outcome of the plebiscite， President Juan Manuel Santos said to the Colombian people： “I have always believed in a wise Chinese proverb that advises searching for opportunities in any situation， and here we have an opportunity.” Is China very much on the mind of President Santos？ 　　OR： Yes， because China has always supported us from its position. And we also had the fortunate coincidence of an official visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Foreign Minister Wang had planned to reiterate that message of support for the peace process， and the lucky coinci