CRI听力:Robert Kuhn: I'm Trying to Tell Real Stories of China

A leading U.S. expert on China has been awarded the China Reform Friendship Medal for his dedication to telling Chinese stories to the world.

For the past three decades, Robert Lawrence Kuhn devoted himself to introducing a comprehensive and realistic China to the world, and the country's reform and opening-up is one of the areas Kuhn has focused on.

He says he sees the China Reform Friendship Medal not so much as a personal accolade but more as a sign of China's enhanced appreciation for international communications.

For more, CRI US correspondent Qian Shanming spoke with the expert himself in New York.

Q: First would you like to share with us some thoughts on receiving this medal? When the China reform friendship medals awarded ten foreigners at this stage of the country’s development, does it carry any special significance from your perspective?

A: well, it’s a great honor, a great surprise, I very much appreciated it. The entire time was a very historical moment, the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up.

I saw mine being awarded the medal as not so much a personal tribute, as it is a recognition by China that international communications at this stage of China’s development, has been elevated to the highest level of national importance.

I’ve been working on international communications about China for thirty years. But in recent years, in the last few years in particular, as China has grown into the world’s second largest economy, as China is engaged with virtually every country on earth. And in a large majority of those countries, China is the largest trading partner. And as there’re increasingly complex international engagements as China more proactively engage with the world. With the increasing US-China tensions as we’ve seen in the last year, which goes beyond just simple trade war, all of these things together mean that, for China to engage in international communications, to participate in the global market place of ideas to share its way of thinking, to learn from the world as well, but in both directions, has been elevated to the highest level of importance.

So I look upon my receiving the award as exemplifying China’s recognition. And so I’m appreciate of it, I’m humbled by it, I feel, you know, kind of responsible in a way now and out, and we started out where was more fun and it’s taking on a more serious tone and I appreciate it, I appreciate the trust and confidence of President Xi and the Chinese leaders, and I used to do things the very best I can to continue to tell the story about China, and China’s engagement.

So as China looks to the future, this commitment to international communications is very strong, and I appreciate it and am happy to play my small part in it.

Q: So you’re just back from the grand commemoration in Beijing to celebrate China’s 40th anniversary of reform and opening up, Chinese president Xi Jinping made important remarks on China’s past and future path through reform and opening up, so what would be your assessment on President Xi’s remarks set the grand celebration?

A: President Xi’s remarks on the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up was a very critical speech, and as I heard the speech, I saw in two ways. One is milestone, and second is benchmark. What I mean by that is as a milestone, it was a time to reflect back on the 40 years in the past, to see what China has achieved, to see the challenges that China faces, and the accomplishments that we’ve made.

And it was also a benchmark for the future, and to look to the future to see what deeper reforms while reforms have to be comprehensive, and in what areas change may be. And a benchmark, the future, benchmark saying “OK, where are we today?” here’s what we have to achieve. And as we look into the future we can compare where we are now, so that becomes the benchmark by which we judge future activities. So it’s very much a big picture speech, the milestone of the past and the benchmark for the future.

Q: We know that you’ve been dedicated to telling Chinese stories, or say, communicating what you’ve learned about China to the world over the past three decades, can you also share with us some of your experiences in telling Chinese stories as a commentator, writer, producer of China related shows and the documentaries?

A: When that we say I sort of tell Chinese stories, I think there’re two ways of saying that. In English when you say telling Chinese stories, that means telling about how things happening in China. And I do some of that, we have a documentary called "China’s Challenges" which I co-produced with my partner and China Media Group, and that’s telling Chinese stories.

The other part what I do is tell the stories of China, which is different with telling Chinese stories, they sound the same but it’s very different. Story of China is a very tough-minded approach to current affairs, so that if problems come up like the trade war, US tensions, you know we’re very familiar with those things. What I try to do is to explain how China’s leaders are thinking about this, maybe give some contrary views that are in China, maybe have debates with the people on television who are taking very negative approach to China, and often times, what they are saying is not necessarily wrong but it’s not the whole story. So it’s complex.

So I try to give an accurate portrayal of China both when there are crisis which there are often, unfortunately, many disputes, but also times that people are listening. And also, to tell what’s really happening through stories of all different facets from Chinese scientists and scholars to migrant workers and peasants and farmers, to tell those kinds of stories. It’s both telling Chinese stories and telling the story of China.