Bob Holden (2nd R) attends a panel discussion during the Fifth China-U.S. Governors Forum held in the U.S. state of Kentucky on May 23, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Rui)
"We as a country and other countries around the world have to recognize the change in the role of China," Bob Holden said.
China and the United States should build a relationship that is a win-win situation for both sides, he noted.
by Xinhua writers Xu Jing, Miao Zhuang
CHICAGO, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- "When I first visited China, I saw a country that was starting to understand the dynamics that they possessed and an opportunity, but really had not put the pieces together to be successful," Bob Holden said. "Now you see a much more confident China."
Holden, a former U.S. state governor who serves as the chairman of the Midwest U.S.-China Association, gave his view about China's development in a recent interview with Xinhua.
He made his first trip to the Asian country in 2004, and now, "there is a significant difference," Holden said.
Fifteen years ago, Holden went to China as the governor of the U.S. Midwest state of Missouri to seek business opportunities. "I watched the loss of jobs, the automotive industry in particular out of this region. So my thought processes, what's the next opportunity?" he explained.
With the United States being very strong in agriculture and manufacturing, which were two necessities for China, "I saw China as that next opportunity," the former governor said.
Holden was the governor of Missouri from 2001 to 2005. Before that, he was the state treasurer of Missouri for eight years.
"China was not big on a lot of people's radar screen at that point of time. But that's where you make decisions. In long term they can pay tremendous benefit and dividends," he said.
Since then, Holden has visited China somewhere between 15 and 20 times. "I went to a lot of different cities, and worked with people there."
"The wealth that has occurred, it's given the people, the families of China to have a better living standard than they had before," he said. "The job creation is helping them raise the level of middle class."
"I go up and down the coastal lines basically, (and) had the opportunity to ride the high speed train in China, which is very impressive," Holden went on.
"Every time I go, it's a new experience," he noted.
"They put more value back into their children and their living standards, so that the benefits of this renewed growth and opportunity are shared by all," he added.
Holden said he thinks that by launching the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with a focus on global development and connectivity, China is sending a message to the world that it once again wants to play an active and critical role in the global economy.
Seeing China as a rising global player, Holden said there are many similarities in the cultures of China and the United States, both centering on family values.
He still remembered clearly an episode that happened during his first trip to China.
"I took my family with me on that trip, including our two sons." When the family was visiting a school, a school teacher learned that Holden's youngest son was having his 10th birthday on the trip.
"One by one, every one of those students came up and presented John, our youngest son, with a little gift."
"That episode has stuck with me in my entire career since then," Holden told Xinhua. "I turned to my wife and said, I can work with these people. Because you really see the humanity in education, in children about what they're taught at home, what their values are, and the respect that they have for their institutions."
After retiring from his office, Holden has served in several organizations. As the U.S.-China association's leader, he has been making efforts to help connect the 20 states in the region with interested parties in China. "We're really focusing on three areas -- culture, education and business," he said.
Holden believed that before people can really be secure in a good business relationship, they must have cultural ties.
Containers of China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited are seen at the Port of Long Beach, Los Angeles County, the United States, on Feb. 27, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Ying)
"You need to have partnerships and that lays a foundation for business not only to be an immediate relationship, but a long-term relationship."
"We as a country and other countries around the world have to recognize the change in the role of China," Holden said, adding that China and the United States should build a relationship that is a win-win situation for both sides. ■
