Diplomatic envoys praise nation's progress

Raheel Tariq has taken the Fuxing high-speed bullet train a few times from Beijing to Shanghai. He got the chance to "drive" it in front of the control panel at the ongoing exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up.

As the first secretary at the embassy of Pakistan, Tariq visited the exhibition at the National Museum of China in Beijing on Monday, with about 1,000 guests from international organizations and embassies in China.

The exhibition, which opened last week, has six sections showcasing a wide range of sectors, including the economy, technology, environment, culture and education. It presents China's 40 years of development and the changes in people's lives.

President Xi Jinping attended the exhibition on the opening day and called on people of all ethnicities to maintain confidence and resolve to deepen reform and opening-up under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

Tariq thought the exhibition highlighted all the fundamentals and salient points of China's reform and opening-up and was delighted to see how China has grown and developed.

The high-tech development in the exhibition relating to IT, communications technology, aircraft, space shuttles, nanotechnology and robotics impressed him the most, Tariq said.

He said Pakistan and China have been cooperating in many science and technology fields, and China is helping Pakistan develop its infrastructure.

Ina Marciulionyte, the Lithuanian ambassador to China, waited a few minutes to get a cup of coffee made by a robot, which she thought was tasty. It was her first time drinking latte made by robot, and she couldn't tell the difference from the beverage made by hand.

Having visited the National Museum many times, Marciulionyte thought the exhibition had changed things.

"It's really impressive," said Marciulionyte. "It's as huge as China is, and it's possible in one place to see 40 years of growth and a vision of the future."

Marciulionyte was impressed by the development of technology and saw opportunities for cooperation between the Republic of Lithuania and China in the high-tech arena.

"Every opening is really useful for the country and for the world. The more open the economy is, the easier it is to get partners and bring partnerships and have some joint products that will be very useful - for the country that is opening and those that are waiting for opening," she said.

"We're looking forward," she said. "President Xi Jinping said there is no way backward, and China will open even more. So we trust his words and we understand that it's really for the future. And we can cooperate closely."

Three years ago, Agustina Casavalle came to Beijing as the first secretary of Uruguay's embassy in China and started to learn to speak and write Chinese.

She experienced instruction in Chinese calligraphy by a computer at the exhibition and thought it would be a good tool for practicing the writing of Chinese characters.

"I'm more informed about Chinese history and Chinese achievements today, which are very important. I think China is doing a very great job around the world, not only for its people but for all the world," Casavalle said.