Ambassador Wu will be always remembered

I was in Vietnam on June 17 and had a chance to meet a senior Filipino diplomat. Talking about how China and the Philippines should improve their strained ties under incoming President Rodrigo Duterte, he suggested inviting one prominent and open-minded Chinese diplomat to give a lecture in Manila this year.

"Who do you think would be the right one?" I asked.

"Ambassador Wu Jianmin," he replied, without hesitation. "He is a truly respected diplomat for his exceptional manner, decency and global view. I'm sure he will be welcomed."

He then asked if I could help. I accepted the request and said I'd contact the 77-year-old former Chinese ambassador to France when I was back at the office on June 20.

But I had a huge shock on June 19, when Wu tragically died in a car accident in Wuhan, Hubei province. He was on his way to give a lecture at Wuhan University, to share his views of the current international situation.

I was devastated, as I've been a long-time supporter of Wu's thoughts and views. His sudden death will be a huge loss to China's diplomacy and the academia of international relations.

In China, Wu was known as a hardcore "pigeon", who advocated using peaceful and diplomatic means such as dialogue to resolve differences between countries, instead of resorting to hard-line ways, like showing muscle.

He famously argued, "Anyone who resorts to war will fall in the current era of peace and development."

Wu was involved in some recent debates with hawkish pundits, and some netizens even labeled him a traitor. But I'd say that Wu's views should be cherished and appreciated in today's world when we see the slowdown, even retreat, of globalization. It has never been perfect, and some even claim the process has brought vicious byproducts to the world, like the spread of international terrorism.

But globalization has been humanity's creative means in global governance after two world wars. It has brought the international community an unprecedented level of interdependence, making it more difficult and expensive for countries, especially great powers, to declare war on each other.

I've recently been reading the History of the First World War by British military historian B.H. Liddell Hart. It elaborates on how the rise of nationalism, and sometimes ultra-nationalism, led to a military buildup among European powers and then World War I from 1914 to 1918.

Unfortunately, we recently have seen signs of the retreat of globalization and the rise of nationalism. Donald Trump's run for president in the United States and the referendum in Britain on whether to leave the European Union are vivid examples.

A veteran diplomat whose career began in 1959, Wu was a man whose lifelong experience made him a solid opponent of nationalism. He was a proponent of communication and integration, which are both needed in today's China, as the international environment, especially in our surrounding areas, is getting increasingly complicated.

Shocked by his sudden death, I posted on the instant-messaging app WeChat, which I rarely do, my sense of grief at his passing.

"Ambassador Wu was one of the few Chinese diplomats with true global vision, at a time of the retreat of globalization and the rise of nationalism," I wrote. "I hoped it (his death) was not real."

Moments later, I was grateful to receive a comment from a "hawkish" Chinese international relations scholar, who used to harshly criticize Wu for his soft-line stance.

"My tribute to Ambassador Wu. China needs to have different voices," he said. Indeed. Hardliner or soft-liner, nationalist or globalist, no matter what your choice, communication should always be encouraged.

Wu, you will be always remembered for your thoughts and your bravery.

The author is a staff writer on Chinese foreign affairs and international relations. zhanghaizhou@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 06/24/2016 page15)