Encounter with Li Keqiang: Throw out the script
When the interview with Prime Minister Li Keqiang was set for editors of Asia News Network (ANN) at the ornate and imposing Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 31, the official word was that only four questions would be accommodated.
It hardly set the tone for a rigorous exchange between China’s top executive and senior journalists from Asia’s 21 leading newspapers. We were told that the Foreign Affairs Ministry was running the event – and there wasn’t much anyone could do about it. I began to wonder whether the whole affair had been downgraded from the initial “exclusive interview” to a four-question courtesy call.
But when Premier Li walked into the huge reception hall for the meeting, he began by shaking hands with every member of the 30-member ANN delegation. And when he sat down with a smile, I knew we could push the limits. The worst that could happen, I figured, was that the premier would refuse to answer the fifth question. But then, as a reporter, you never say never until it’s all over.
As it turned out, the 61-year-old premier, a core member of the fifth generation of Chinese leadership, lived up to his reputation as a pragmatic leader. He realises that if China is serious about its new policy of employing “soft power” to explain Beijing’s positions on all the big issues, he cannot afford to follow the traditional bureaucratic playbook on stonewalling the media in every possible way.
I am not sure whether Premier Li knew about the “four-question” rule, but if he did, he showed no indication. What had threatened to be a mere 20-minute “courtesy call” turned out to be a lively Q&A session that lasted at least twice that length of time.
Through the celebrated interpreter Zhang Lu from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the premier launched into a series of robust responses to questions ranging from disputes in the South China Sea, tension on the Korean Peninsula and relations between China and India, to China’s role in the international arena.
He was clearly full of confidence. He didn’t consult notes. Nor did he once turn to the two Cabinet members seated near him for confirmation of facts or ideas while responding to the journalists’ questions.
China, he declared in answer to the first question, would not act like a bully – or the bad “Big Brother”. He stressed that China was in no way a superpower and had no intention of becoming one. It remains a developing country, albeit a big one, and still ranks behind some 80 nations in terms of per capita GDP.
“China has a long way to go to realise modernisation. It needs a stable regional and peaceful international environment, and China is committed to safeguarding that environment,” he said.
Li took pains to point out that even if China modernises, it won’t seek hegemony or bully others. History had shown that China had always been on the receiving end of mistreatment from other countries, he suggested, rather than the other way round.
“I believe,” he said, “this is only a fair conclusion when one takes into account China’s cultural tradition and historical experiences.”
His key message was that the common interests of China and her neighbours outweigh other issues – and “we can always optimise the common interests and better manage our differences”.
As the conversation progressed, Premier Li appeared increasingly relaxed and even gregarious. There was little doubt he was in command of his brief. If the first part of the interview had been “coordinated” by the foreign affairs officials, the rest of the exchange departed from the script – with the premier even teasing an editor who had inquired about the escalating tension in the South China Sea:
“Your question shows that you are a senior journalist, but you look so young. Looking young is a good thing – maybe you have some secret to keeping fit to share with colleagues.”
When, at the conclusion of the interview, another editor suggested that he too looked young, Premier Li waved his hand, saying: “No, I am over 60 now!”
China’s long experience in dealing with conflicts, both within the country and outside, is now facing challenges on all fronts.
And how China “manages differences” with its neighbours is probably the most important question in its relations with the rest of the world.
“Just as a person might accidentally bite his lip, it’s only natural that neighbours will have differences. But the key is to address such disparities in a calm, diplomatic way,” he stressed.
With the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague about to rule on the Philippines’ case against China over South China Sea territory – a ruling which Beijing won’t recognise as legitimate – China now faces a litmus test on whether it can react in a “calm, diplomatic way”.
