Still today there are great economical and social differences in various Chinese provinces. There’s the rich and wealthy east as well as the relatively poor west. I think that accusations of western media telling that China would neglect its western regions and support the rich east are extremely one-sided, undifferentiated and unfair. The Chinese government spends a huge amount of money to support and develop less developed regions like Xinjiang or Tibet. Without the great success of the eastern and southern provinces this project would not be possible. There are only very few countries on this globe whose government spend so much energy in levelling inequities in its various regions as China does.

Several reports about the human rights situation in China are one-sided as well. To reduce China to the image of a state which permanently disregards the civil rights of its people is unfair, abusive and extremely wrong. Those who are asking for a sudden change of China into a completely free and deregulated country are either adventurers or fools. Western media often neglect the fact that there has been a continuous reform process of the administration and justice with enormous amendment in terms of human rights.

Not only is the Chinese benefit from the successful policy of Deng Xiaoping's opening up policy. Meanwhile China has become one the most important motors of our world economy. While people in western country benefit from low prizes for high quality products, China opens the largest and most profitable export market of the world. Our high wealth level would be impossible without the Chinese Economic power.

The most important factor of such a great success are the people themselves. For the 30th anniversary of the launch of Deng Xiaoping’s reforms I send my congratulations to my Chinese Friends and all the people of China – my very best wishes for luck and success by continuing the process of reforms and modernization.

Herbolzheim, November 2008

Helmut Matt

Editor:Du Xiaodan