Costa Rican columnist: Chinese leaders provide solutions to the world's problems

Velia Govaere, a columnist from Costa Rican newspaper La Nación who attended the opening session of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Oct. 16, 2022 in Beijing, has hailed China's development pattern as inspiring.

Photo shows Velia Govaere. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Govaere, who is also the former deputy head of the Costa Rican Ministry of Economy, Industry and Commerce, had the rare opportunity to report on the 20th CPC National Congress during her first visit to China, and said this enabled her to understand how China's politics work from up close.

She mentioned two points in Xi Jinping's report to the 20th CPC National Congress. One is a new pattern of development, which, she believed, allows for the building of a business mode that features higher added-value, and also ensures China's continuous opening-up to the world. The other is the solemn commitment to environmental protection and sustainable development.

Having followed China's economic miracle for years, she also wrote about China's active role in multilateralism, the vitality that the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) injects into the world, and China's important role in tackling global issues like climate change in her column.

Govaere was deeply impressed by the Chinese people's pursuit of a brighter future. "Everybody has a spirit of serving the collective interest and makes their own contributions. The idea of building a beautiful China together without leaving anyone behind impressed me the most," she said.

Describing her trip to China to the readers of her column as "taking a spiritual and cultural bath in the millenary culture", she said Chinese leaders are providing solutions to the world's problems using Chinese wisdom.

The photo taken by Velia Govaere shows a Chinese man's daily life. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

As a staunch supporter of the BRI, she called the initiative the best example of an international model that uses cooperation to enhance understanding among people. "For civilizations like ours separated by an ocean, it is possible to build stronger ties in infrastructure, cultural exchanges, shared research, interwoven supply of value chains, all under the same aspiration for peaceful, equitable and sustainable human development,” she said.

Govaere will leave China next month, but will continue to tell China's stories. "I take with me fond memories, a deep sense of awe for all the accomplishments of this great nation, and the conviction that they offer a glimmer of hope for the world,” she said.