President says learning languages is key to mutual understanding

President Xi Jinping called on the country to enhance confidence in its culture while communicating with the outside world, saying that prejudice and misunderstanding of China will disappear through persistent exchanges.

Xi made the remarks on Saturday in Berlin when he met Sinologists from Germany, as well as teachers and students from local Confucius Institutes, during his first state visit to the country.

Xi thanked them for their continuing efforts to promote China-Germany relations and bilateral cultural exchanges.

Xi said that a multipolar world has internationalized economies and diversified cultures. Communication among peoples has become more important, and languages are the crucial tool for communication.

"Only by learning a foreign language can one understand cultural differences, and look at the world in an objective and rational way, and live with tolerance and hospitality," Xi said.

When the country is at a historic crossroads, the Chinese language is an important tool for the world to understand China, Xi said.

According to Xi, the thoughts of Confucius have become Chinese culture's ambassador and DNA. Even some overseas Chinese, who may not speak Chinese anymore, behave with a Chinese outlook and philosophy.

Xi noted that there are many people in the world learning Chinese now.

"From Chinese classes in Germany, and German lectures in China, we enhance our understanding of each other's culture through learning the languages," he added.

He also observed that the US first lady Michelle Obama visited China before Xi's trip to Europe. He said Obama's younger daughter Sasha is learning Chinese.

Talking about the prejudice that some overseas people have about China, Xi said it mainly stems from the distance and lack of understanding.

But to understand China, one needs to see it in a comprehensive way, and not draw conclusions from incomplete information, according to Xi.

"China is such a huge country, which is hard to easily summarize, but this is also the charm of the country," Xi said.

In the meeting, Michael Kahn-Ackermann, former head of the Goethe-Institute China and a Sinologist who advises the Confucius Institutes, said the strength of Chinese culture is its liberty of thought, which is also the real soft power of China.

"I heard different opinions in China, and saw a very energetic country, which sometimes is beyond our imagination," Kahn-Ackermann said.

China runs Confucius Institutes internationally, which is a very brave and wise decision, he added.

"Confucius Institutes provide the teaching of Chinese language, and will be an important platform for cultural exchange between China and Western countries."

Before the meeting, Monika Schadler, professor of Chinese economy and society at Bremen University of Applied Sciences， and also German director of the Confucius Institute Bremen, said German students have a strong interest in understanding Chinese culture.

"China is the new world economic power and has great influence in global development. So, German students are very interested in understanding China's development," she said.

German people would like to cooperate with China and Chinese people in solving the global, social, environmental and political problems, Schadler added.

Chinese culture has both deep traditional roots and new features rapidly developing such as cartoons, the game industry, films and modern art, the professor said.

Mechthild Leutner, German director of the Confucius Institute at Free University of Berlin, said the economic, political and cultural cooperation between Germany and China creates many job opportunities.

Contact the writers through [email protected].

Zhao Yanrong in Beijing contributed to this story.