German Chancellor Merkel praises China’s advances in System Theory & Artificial Intelligence
On the 7th of September, German Chancellor Merkel came to Huazhong University of Science and Technology to give a speech. The undergraduate students listened carefully and interacted with her, reports Changjiang Daily reporter Zhan Song.
On 6th, she was in Beijing and on 7th she expressed her desire to see the central China and came to Wuhan, which has deep exchanges with Germany in the fields of medicine and industry. Merkel’s special plane landed at Wuhan Tianhe International Airport at 10:30 am. She was dressed in a pink blouse and walked out of the cabin with a smile, steadily stepping down the ramp. Merkel has visited China 12 times since he became German prime minister in 2005. In addition to Beijing, she has visited more than 10 Chinese cities. In many “deep China trips”, she showed great interest in China’s landscapes with different levels of economic development and diverse regional culture. This trip to Wuhan is no exception.
On the way from Hankou to Wuchang, when the Merkel team passed the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, it was temporarily suspended on the bridge deck. Built in the 1950s, the first bridge of the Yangtze River in the 1950s opened the arms and embraced this German friend for the first time. Merkel viewed both sides of the bridge, the wide river surface was sparkling, and the three towns of Yellow Crane Tower, Guishan TV Tower and Parrot Island Yangtze River Bridge had a panoramic view. She asked the accompanying staff of Hubei Province with great interest: “How far is it from the Three Gorges Dam?” “What is the flow of the Yangtze River?”
Leaving the Yangtze River Bridge, Merkel went straight to Huazhong University of Science and Technology, which is known as the “Forest University”. In a red brick building, she had an hour-long exchange with about 150 teachers and students.
In her speech, Merkel said that in the context of globalization, big data and artificial intelligence are developing at a high speed, and international cooperation is particularly important. Students will have the opportunity to participate. National prosperity is part of the world’s prosperity, and students have to shoulder the common responsibility to cope with common challenges. Especially in the area of climate change, mankind must do everything in its power to keep the consequences of climate change under control. The cause of global climate governance cannot be separated from China’s major contributions.
She said that China bears a major global responsibility and can only continue to succeed if it strengthens international cooperation. A clean environment and interesting work will enable the younger generation to settle down and create a better life. Such aspiration is not only Chinese but also German. “So we need multilateralism more than ever. To cooperate, don’t do it alone.”
Song Haipei, a master student of the School of Social Sciences at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, said: “On 12 visits to China, what did the Prime Minister feel about China’s changes? Why did you choose Wuhan?” Merkel replied: “I have flown twice at high altitude by plane. When i saw Wuhan and the Yangtze River, I thought we must go to see this city, so I specially added Wuhan’s itinerary in preparation.”
She said that in 1982, Wuhan and Duisburg concluded the first friendship between China and Germany. Today, there are still many “German elements” in Wuhan, and well-known German companies such as Siemens and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises are “safe homes” in Wuhan.
Merkel reviewed her experiences in visiting China. She said that she felt the transformation of China’s economy in Shenyang, witnessed the spectacular Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Xi’an, learned about the process of the development of the western region in Chengdu, and saw the great changes brought about by the reform and opening up in Shenzhen, and learned more than 1 million here in Wuhan.
In a relaxed and pleasant exchange, many students asked questions about Internet, artificial intelligence, industrial manufacturing and environmental protection. Merkel responded with pleasure. For the now-popular World Robot Competition, Merkel suggests that Huazhong University of Science and Technology can strengthen exchanges with the University of Munich and the Technical University of Berlin to promote cooperation in related disciplines. She acknowledged the Chinese students’ proposed Sino-German Robot Competition.
It is reported that since 2000, Huazhong University of Science and Technology has trained nearly 400 German students, and introduced more than 70 scholars who have studied or worked in Germany to teach. Each year, more than 100 students are sent to study in Germany. She said, Huazhong University of Science and Technology has trained Professors Deng Julong and Liu Sifeng, who put forward the Grey System Theory, and Zhang Xiaolong, founder of WeChat, as well as tennis players Li Na and Li Ting. These graduates have made a profound impact on the world.
It is reported that Merkel was accompanied by a delegation of German entrepreneurs. They visited Merkel with universities and visited the Sino-German Friendship Hospital, Wuhan Tongji Hospital, Guanggu Campus, and German-owned Weiba. The Wuhan plant seeks mutually beneficial cooperation in the fields of medical care, intelligent manufacturing and artificial intelligence. More new cooperation between China and Germany is expected to inject more new energy into the two countries and the world.
The news was originally appeared in Chinese language at People’s Daily and Xinhua News.
