"Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you", "Don't eat what comes to you", "Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world"... Yesterday morning, German President Horst, who was in China for a state visit, said: Koehler celebrated the centenary of Tongji University and gave a 40-minute keynote speech. These three famous Chinese sayings became the three "keywords" of his speech. He called on all countries in the world to respect each other and form a community of economy, destiny and learning in today's increasingly globalized world.

Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you - Countries should respect each other

At the beginning of the speech, Koehler put forward three concepts of "one body" . "Globalization has made us a community of economy and destiny, and human beings must become a community of learning. We should not blame each other, but jointly explore which mistakes should not be repeated or continued. He said that the history of Europe is a good illustration. "Europe has experienced wars, but after peacefully accepting and appreciating each other's differences, it has gradually become beautiful and prosperous."

"Confucius said, 'Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you.'" Koehler said that every country has the right to follow its own path and must learn to respect different diversity and learn from each other. Only by accepting each other's differences can we make progress together. "I am very happy that our two countries are having dialogue in this spirit."

Don’t be eaten by others - the dignity and rights of citizens are the most worthy of protection

Koehler said that to achieve national development, the most important thing is to protect the basic rights and dignity of citizens. He once again It quoted Mencius, another Chinese Confucian sage, about the "food that comes after sighs": "Even people who are about to starve to death will not eat the food that comes after sighs. This reflects China's concept of respect for people since ancient times."

Koehler particularly expressed his appreciation for China's achievements in overcoming poverty: "As far as I know, China had 64 people living below the poverty line in 1981, and today the number of poor people has been reduced to less than 15% of the total population. , 400 million Chinese people have been lifted out of poverty, this achievement is very admirable." Koehler said that China's development has made a huge contribution to the United Nations' goal of halving the global poverty population in 2015. However, Koehler emphasized that the poverty problem in Africa is becoming increasingly serious, and this situation needs to be paid attention to in the process of globalization.

Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world - environmental protection deserves everyone's attention.

At the end of the speech, Koehler also put forward his own views on environmental protection issues. "In the process of rebuilding Germany's homeland in the first few decades, many detours were taken because there was no emphasis on environmental protection. In the end, we concluded that avoiding environmental pollution is much cheaper than eliminating the pollution that has already occurred."

After learning that the number of white-tip dolphins in China's Yangtze River has declined sharply and is on the verge of extinction, Koehler thought of the Rhine River decades ago. He recalled that the rapid development of industry, agriculture, and towns at that time also produced a large amount of waste, which was directly discharged into the Rhine River through sewers, causing pollution and putting the fish in the Rhine River on the verge of extinction. "After increasing environmental awareness and long-term management, salmon have recently returned to the Rhine River. This means that the management of the Rhine River has been effective. I hope that the white-tip dolphin can one day return to the Yangtze River."

"The earth carries all people like a big ship. Everyone must bear a responsibility for the protection of the earth's environment, just like the origin of the name of Tongji School - 'In the same boat, we are all together', Just like an old Chinese saying: 'Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world.'" Koehler ended his speech by quoting a Chinese proverb for the third time, and the audience burst into applause.

Germany welcomes more Chinese students

Yesterday, Koehler also had a live dialogue with Tongji students. When asked about education and studying abroad in Germany, Koehler revealed that education in Germany is currently in a period of reform, and the most important thing is in the field of scientific research and academics. "We are funding those excellent schools to make them better." . He particularly emphasized that he hopes more Chinese students will study in Germany.

"The participation of Chinese students will enable China and Germany to further understand each other and have a good impact on school education."

It is understood that in order to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Tongji University, Koehler also set up a "Presidential Scholarship" at the Sino-German College of Tongji University yesterday, which will fund 4 outstanding students every year to study in Germany for one semester to One year and 3 consecutive years of funding. Koehler also witnessed the signing ceremony of the Sino-German Academy Project and the Sino-German Cooperative Vocational Teacher Training Project in Tongji yesterday.