Having been with China for nearly half a century, the 88-year-old Spaniard believes that this life is worthwhile. Marcelo Muñoz has two proudest things in his life. One is that he became the first Spaniard to go to China to start a company after the reform and opening up; the other is that he established a think tank to promote exchange. For decades, he has straddled the business and academic circles to build a bridge of communication between China and the West, because in his opinion, the West does not understand China, and it is precisely because of this prejudice that the West is missing the opportunities brought by China's development, such as Belt and Road Initiative. Marcelo believes that the Belt and Road Initiative is a great project. It has brought real benefits to the countries along the route in the past ten years. However, under the pressure of the United States, most European countries, including Spain, have not yet joined it, which is very stupid and really disappointing. sorry.

I can proudly say that I am the only Spaniard who has personally experienced the dramatic changes of China's reform and opening up in the past 45 years. Marcelo couldn't hide his excitement when he mentioned this past event. In 1978, China started the historical process of reform and opening up, and began to attract investment and focus on economic development. At that time, Spain had just got rid of Franco's dictatorship, and everything was waiting to be done. Marcelo and his colleagues believe that if Spain wants to develop, it must rely on exports, and China's reform and opening up is a rare opportunity: we established a trading company in June 1978, and we have already negotiated business with Chinese partners at the Canton Fair in October .

Since then, Marcelo's company has gradually become the agent of major Spanish companies in China. He has traveled to China more than 130 times, staying for two weeks to one month each time, and has traveled all over China. Over the years, Marcelo has witnessed China's development from No. 120 in the world to the world's second largest economy.

Marcelo believes that the West must accept the reality that China has risen, because any problem in the world today cannot be solved without China's participation. However, the reality is that some Western countries are stubborn and ignore the facts. They accuse China of being a big polluter, but ignore China's efforts to improve the environment. In fact, China leads the world in the production of alternative energy sources.

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of China's Belt and Road Initiative, Marcelo spoke highly of this remarkable project. Now the Belt and Road project has achieved fruitful results in Asia, Africa and South America, and all participating countries have benefited from it. It is a pity that Spain did not sign the Belt and Road agreement, which is our great loss. Therefore, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Spain, Marcelo called on the Spanish government to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, increase exports to China, and promote people-to-people exchanges. Spain is a tourist country, we have to work hard to attract Chinese tourists to visit Spain, we must realize that we need this huge market of China.

About ten years ago, Marcelo had to stop working due to health reasons. Looking back on what I gained in China, my heart was full and I felt the responsibility to pass on my discoveries to more people. In order to let more Spaniards understand China, Marcelo and like-minded friends established the Zhihua Lecture, a think tank, to tell Chinese stories by holding forums, lectures, and publishing articles. The proudest achievement in my life is the establishment of Zhihua Lecture Hall. Now this small think tank has become a bridge between China and the West, opening a window for Spaniards who want to understand China.

Marcelo has also written four books on China, namely "Mystery of China" (2008), "China in 2050" (2012), "China in the 21st Century" (2018) and "China Returns" (2022) , which records the great development of China. He hopes that through these books, more Spanish readers can learn about China.

Marcelo majored in philosophy at university, and has his own observations on exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. He said that if he had to choose, the most important thing he learned in China was the attitude of dialogue. I think the core of Chinese Confucian philosophy is harmony. They advocate to eliminate differences and narrow distances through dialogue. He believes that confrontation is not a philosophy advocated by the Chinese, while dialogue is the golden key to communication between cultures. The misunderstanding of Westerners is that only when the Chinese accept their position, will they be willing to start a dialogue. As everyone knows, the purpose of dialogue is to resolve differences, and dialogue is a means, not an end. In his view, China is a country that advocates civilization, and even the most famous "Sun Tzu's Art of War" tells how to avoid war.

Eighty-eight-year-old Marcelo said with a smile that people my age are often recalling the past, telling stories about the past, and enjoying the joy of their children and grandchildren. But I don't miss the past, because every day I walk with China is like living in the future, so I dare not grow old, I don't want to grow old, but I want to keep the mentality of a young man and look forward to China's new development.Editor/Ma Xue