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The President of the Republic at the Festive Dinner in Honour of the President of the People's Republic of China, Mr Jiang Zemin and Mrs Wang Yeping on June 12, 2002, in Tallinn12.06.2002
Honourable President Jiang Zemin,
Honourable Mrs Wang Yeping,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to bid you most cordial welcome to Estonia. To a country, which is so small that, figuratively speaking, it could be accommodated in one of the districts of your capital, Peking. Indeed, our countries and peoples are different: as for their size, language, culture and history. Yet, it does not impede us from pursuing good state-to-state relations or from paying each other visits at the highest possible level. On the contrary, there is a certain driving force behind differences - a friendly interest, perhaps even mingled with curiosity, which apparently is a key to our rather lively contacts at all conceivable levels.
Dear Guests. China was one of the first nations, which recognized our regained independence. Just a few days later we established diplomatic relations. Since then our countries have made great strides. Numerous official visits have been made and we have concluded the most important bilateral agreements. Estonia has been appreciatively watching the amazingly rapid advancement of China's economy. Time after time serious men from Estonian Railways and Port of Tallinn can be seen on planes to or from Peking. They have documents in their briefcases dealing with container transport and transit flows. Estonian Union of Fisheries knows quite a lot about food preferences of the Chinese, for our tinned fish sell like hot cake in China. China's national TV teaches English using good textbooks published in Estonia. True, in business relations, totally different cultural traditions sometimes cause difficulties. Not necessarily do the business partners find a common language at one stroke. However, possible problems soon would be sorted out by friendly interest mentioned already.
The interest of Estonians in China is not so very new. Already in the 19th century the first, although rather uncertain writings about the Chinese language and culture came out in our daily "Eesti Postimees", which is published up to date. We always have had experts of Chinese. They have directly, without any intermediary language, translated your thousands-of-years old poetry into Estonian. We have learned to respect your time-honoured philosophy, and drawn from it worldly wisdom and guidance about how to cope with one's life.
Many young Estonians are studying Chinese at present too, several of them on your state grants and supported by your Embassy. At the same time, a number of young people from northern China are studying business management at the Estonian Business School. Numerous Chinese chefs have found devoted fans of their skills in Estonia. Enthusiasts of Chinese ancient martial arts have a club here. Experts of Estonian and Chinese traditional medicine have jointly hold conferences. And while Estonian youth's dance group "Lee" recently was giving concerts in China they were met with enthusiasm there. Although their dances rooted in our Finno-Ugrian heritage are supposed to be rather unfamiliar to you. And your musicians and dancers have had no less success in Estonia. Around a hundred of your fellow-countrymen are living in Estonia today. And they are doing well. We respect them since they are hardworking, responsible and friendly. And with many of them we can communicate in Estonian.
Dear Friends. We know that the Chinese cherish their homes and country. Every Chinese family, even if moderately wealthy, tries at least a couple of times a year to hike or to travel around in their native country. We have been trying to encourage the same thought in Estonia too. And so, over the recent years domestic tourism has made steady progress in Estonia. Our hamlets and villages are open to travellers. Our clean nature, beautiful woods and marshes rich in species are worth discovering, and we are expecting also visitors from other countries there. You are welcome too.
I am sure that you would like our woods, landscape and islands. You as well hold in respect and attach great importance to the obligation to preserve the original environment. The world is attentively following China's efforts to preserve Panda as a unique species. We know that Père David's deer has become extinct in China - its original habitat. But fate would have it that the descendants of the last specimen of this species ended up in the zoo of Tallinn. They have been well and they have reproduced there. Now Estonia is ready to give Père David's deer back to its country of origin. I am hopeful, or actually I am sure that material obstacles will shortly be removed. Just a little more time, and as a result of our scientists' work, in China's nature there will be again Père David's deer, a species held extinct in the meantime.
Dear Guests, it is stated in "Spring in China", a book which just recently was published in Estonia: some people write with hieroglyphs, others with letters, but still, their smiles have the very same meaning. I would conclude with this beautiful idea.
Permit me to raise my glass to the health of President Jiang Zemin and Mrs Wang Yeping. To the glory and prosperity of the people of China.
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