Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday called for seeing and understanding China through the Chinese eyes, a way that he said will help the West reduce its misunderstanding of the country.
Blair made the call in an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) on the sideline of the ongoing three-day 2025 Summer Davos forum which kicked off Tuesday in north China's Tianjin Municipality.
As the forum highlighted innovation and technological development as the driving force for global economic growth and featured a great number of latest breakthroughs from across the world and particularly from China, Blair said it is important for people to know how fast the country's tech sector has been developing.
"It's important that the people from the outside of China understand just how strong the development has been in China, and in particular now that the move towards China as a hub of innovation. And you know, I am fascinated by the technology revolution, its implications for the world. And China is developing extraordinary technology here. And it's important that the people from the outside understand that," he said.
Blair added that it is fair to acknowledge that there are differences between the West and China, and he believes the right way to understand the country is to see it through the Chinese eyes.
"Whatever differences there are, it's important we stay engaged and we try and understand China. Try and see China through Chinese eyes, not just through western eyes, because otherwise you will end up with more ignorance, misunderstanding and potentially conflict when we really can't afford to have that happen," he said.
Talking about the relations between the European Union (EU) and China, Blair emphasized the close economic ties between the two sides, saying any shocks to the ties will impact people's life significantly and it's in the interest of the EU and Britain to strengthen cooperation with China.
"China and the European Union, they have hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of trade between them. So, this really matters to people in Europe and in China. There are jobs depended on it. There's living standard depended on it. And Europe single market is the largest commercial market in the world or up there with the very biggest markets in the world. So, there's a lot we can do together, should do together. And even Britain being outside of the European Union formally, obviously we still have a great interest in what happens in Europe," he said.
Former British PM calls for seeing, understanding China through Chinese eyes
