Public Diplomacy–A Fresh Experience.docVIP

Public Diplomacy–A Fresh Experience 　　I visited Belgium and France from June 23 to 27 last summer with a delegation from the China Entrepreneur Club （CEC）. My third overseas trip with a CEC delegation， this brief visit on a tight schedule nonetheless left me with deep impressions. The World Pays More Attention to China Despite China’s growing global interactions， I found that people generally know less than would be expected about China， and less still about the countrys private businesses. Three CEC delegations have traveled overseas in the past three years， each meeting with a broader array of highranking government officials than the last. The 2011 delegation to the U.S. met with Secretary of Commerce John Bryson. In 2012， Prime Minister David Cameron received the delegation to the UK at a courtesy meeting. It then met with the secretary of state for Trade and Industry. In June this year， however， the delegations receptions outstripped the previous two， having attended meetings in Brussels with both the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo. Upon arrival in France， the delegation met and spoke with President Fran？ois Hollande and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Laurent Fabius. This was probably the first time that a president of the EU Commission， president and foreign minister of France and president of Belgium met with a delegation of private entrepreneurs. Private companies are a main result of China’s reform and opening-up drive. They did not exist in the country some 30 years ago， but now account for 60 percent of Chinas economy and create 80 percent of employment. Vigorous， dynamic and innovative， these concerns constitute a main force of Chinas economy. The courtesies that European leaders paid to the CEC delegations were by design rather than by default. China is rising and has entered the global spotlight. The high-profile reception of CEC delegations in Europe reflec