Interview: "Service" best describes CPC, says president of New Zealand China Friendship Society

WELLINGTON, July 1 (Xinhua) -- President of the New Zealand China Friendship Society (NZCFS) Dave Bromwich has spoken highly of the achievements of the Communist Party of China (CPC), using the word "service" to describe the relationship between the CPC and the Chinese people.

"The government is the people. The people are the government. It is a mutual relationship. If using one word to describe my feeling about the CPC and the government of China, I very quickly came up with one word and I haven't been able to replace it, and the word is service. Why service? Because China has developed so fast and taken all of its population with it," Bromwich told Xinhua in a recent interview.

According to Bromwich, the main reasons for the Chinese people's great support for the government and the CPC are the success they have achieved in advancing the livelihood of the people and a sense of pride the people feel towards their country's achievements.

He said the key human rights issues are enough food to eat, adequate housing and the right to education. "For those three key areas, China has done an amazing job."

Recalling his first trip to China 31 years ago, Bromwich said "I remember the first trip I did from Shanghai to Guangzhou was 33 hours. Its just so fast now and has made the lives of the people so much more comfortable. It's a very rapid development."

As this year witnesses the 50th anniversary of New Zealand-China diplomatic relations and the 70th anniversary of the NZCFS, Bromwich highlighted three key points in fostering bilateral relations in the future: education of younger generation, sustainable business relations and illustration of a Chinese perspective rather than a Western interpretation of China from the media.

"It is the media in the West who is really responsible for a lot of the misinformation and the distrust of China as a nation. That's the point I think where the difficulties lie," he said.

Bromwich has spent nearly 10 years in China since 1996. Most of his experiences were related to cooperatives and rural community development projects in remote areas in Southwest and Western China. He was elected as president of the NZCFS in 2013.

"My experience in China has given me a great understanding of where China is today, where she has come from and how she has developed," Bromwich said.

"At the same time, the most rewarding part of my work is through tours to introduce China to the outside world, to know the real communities, from the village people who we've worked with, to provincial level partners, a real introduction, a real China," he said.