Nelson Mandela in My Eyes

　　I spent six years working in South Africa in the1990s， during which time I was privileged to witnessthe personal charisma of the great South African leader，Nelson Mandela， who became that country’s first blackpresident in 1994.

　　In those years， whenever Mandela appeared at thefunctions of foreign missions， he would be greeted withcheers. He was a man who cherished friendships throughboth his words and his deeds. I heard him say many timesthat the new South Africa would strengthen cooperationand exchanges with all friendly nations and that it wouldnever forget those who have supported and helpedSouth African people in the fight against apartheid.

　　Soon after the founding of the new South Africain 1994， the country’s leadership announced it wouldestablish official relationships with Cuba and other countries，in spite of enormous pressure from some Westerncountries.

　　At a meeting， I met Mandela. Getting to know I camefrom Beijing， he held my hand firmly and said with a smilethat he had visited Beijing before and had a good memoryof his Beijing trips. He also spoke highly of China’s rapiddevelopment. I was deeply impressed by his humility andgraceful manner.

　　The extensive popularity of Mandela is closely connectedwith his care for the hardships of black people. InDecember 1994， as deputy director of Chinese ResearchCenter (CRC) in South Africa， I was invited to attend the49th national congress of the African National Congress(ANC). When Mandela approached the podium， the conferencehall burst with cheers as all participants cried outhis name， “Mandela.”

　　Mandela gave a speech in which he promised thatthe new South African Government would rebuild anddevelop the country， addressing problems such as housing，education and employment. Mandela called for allSouth Africans to unite to achieve a new set of goals forthe country.

　　When the opening ceremony concluded， Mandela wassurrounded by the crowd. All the congress representativesscrambled to shake hands with their leader. Thescene lasted for more than half an hour.

　　I still remember clearly a meeting with Mandela at hisoffice on August 9， 1993. His voice sounded strong andpowerful. He said China had been supporting the SouthAfrican people in their anti-apartheid endeavor since the1950s， having provided the ANC all the aid that it could.He said both sides will continue to cherish such friendshipbetween the ANC and China. Mandela also candidlytalked with me and my colleagues about his prior trip toChina’s Taiwan. He said that he refused to set up an ANCoffice in Taipei as requested by the Taiwan authorities butwould like to have such an office in Beijing.

　　Mandela said to us that as international organizationssuch as the UN and the Organization of African Unity didnot have official relations with Taiwan authority， the ANCwould also keep the same policy on the issue. I showedmy appreciation for his remarks. At the end of the meeting，I asked him to take a group photo with us. He readilyagreed. The meeting revealed Mandela’s characteristicopen-mindedness and courage. Our interaction convincedme that he highly valued the traditional friendshipbetween China and the ANC， showing that these officialrelations were an irreversible trend.

　　On November 26， 1996， at a lunch with Gu Xin’er， oneof my colleagues and former director of CRC in SouthAfrica， Mandela confirmed that he had made a decision tobreak off official ties with Taipei no later than the end of1997， and establish diplomatic relations with the People’sRepublic of China (PRC).

　　On January 1， 1998， the PRC and South Africa announcedthe establishment of an official diplomaticrelationship. Mandela had no doubt played a crucial rolein the event. In May 1999， Mandela， as South AfricanPresident， made a state visit to China.

　　Mandela remained indifferent to fame and wealth inspite of the love and adoration he received as a politicalfigure. After serving as the first president of the newSouth Africa with the blessing of the people， he chose towithdraw from politics after his five-year term rather thanrun for office a second time.

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