KUALA LUMPUR, April 18 (Xinhua) -- China is preparing its 60th anniversary celebration and a senior Malaysian diplomat says it is worth celebrating as China has scored great achievements.
"The people in China should be proud of themselves for China's fantastic achievements," said Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan, former Malaysian ambassador to China, in an interview with Xinhua here on Saturday.
Majid served as the Ambassador of Malaysia to China since 1998 and he was the longest serving Malaysian ambassador to China when he retired from the post in 2005.
"I have the opportunity to be at the very frontline to witness China's transformation," said Majid.
From a bicycle kingdom to today's economic powerhouse, Majid had witnessed the historic development and transformation of China.
"It was a phenomenal and comprehensive transformation," he added.
During his first visit to China in 1976, the busy streets were filled with people in their blue uniforms. Bicyclists were rushing to work and chasing the sunset after work everyday.
When dining out at a restaurant, the waiters would flicker the lights to signal the closing time at 7:30 p.m. The choices of restaurants and supermarkets were also very limited and not many foreigners were present before China began to carry out its opening-up policy in 1978. His first visit lasted for a week.
He served as the political counsellor of the Malaysian Embassy in China from 1980 to 1985, his second exposure to China. The living standard in China was still low and the private sector had not yet been fully established.
In winter, the locals had to store up on vegetables to get them through the season and, thus, "winter cabbages" came into picture.
Also, during the early years of the opening-up policy, the Chinese were still very cautious when dealing with foreigners. Some Chinese people still had doubts about the changes as they did not know if the changes were for real.
But, when some Chinese leaders began to wear Western suits, "the world knew that China really wanted to change," Majid said.
He said the biggest change when he returned to China in 1998 was the freer interactions between Chinese and foreigners. Besides that, private sectors were also booming and more variety of consumer goods could be found in the markets.
China's urbanization had also created well-designed housing development and more advanced infrastructure, for example, more airlines and modernized airports. Also, the highways development connecting major cities was another significant change planned by the Chinese government.
The year 2009 marks the 60th anniversary of New China's founding. As the most populated country is in the midst of preparing for its National Day celebration, Majid said the celebration is "an acknowledgment by the world".
From a country that was once isolated, China has gone through many reforms and overcome many challenges on its path to play an active role on the world's arena.
"Today, when China is not present at a meeting, I think everyone will miss China. Everyone wants to make sure that China attends every conference on all aspects of development," Majid said.
He also added that China has been a "very important part of the international community" due to its success in economic development and being the manufacturing center of the world. Other than that, the Olympic Games held in Beijing in 2008 had also granted China a global stage to demonstrate its great achievements over the past years.
When asked to compare China's living standard now and a few decades ago, Majid recalled a conversation he had with one of his friends.
"In the early 70s and 80s, when the people in China wrote letters to their relatives in Malaysia, they asked for money and medicines. But now in the 90s, they write different letters. They ask us to come and eat in a big restaurants, or they want to come here as a tourist to Malaysia," recalled Majid.
Apart from that, Majid also said that there are a lot of people from China who came to Malaysia for business purposes. Now, China has the largest Internet users compared to the rest of the world and the travel speed of information is also among the top.
Today, as the world is trying to recover from the financial crisis, China is still reporting strong growth in its economy.
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