BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Amid Chinese Spring Festival celebrations and enthusiasm in the run up to the Winter Olympics, slated to open on Feb. 4, Xinhua's China Chat show hit the streets of Beijing and sat down with three expats who have experienced firsthand the country's rapid changes over the years.
They shared their perspectives on how China has changed between the Summer Olympics in 2008 and the upcoming Winter Games. Following are some excerpts from the chat.
"In 2008, many people were awestruck by the pageantry of the Olympics, but there was still the sense that China still had a long way to go. Today, what happens in Beijing probably matters quite a lot around the world.
"Entrepreneurs in China are setting the pace. The government has been very responsive to fixing problems. The last thing that has changed dramatically is the presence and the visibility of the Communist Party of China."
-- Andy Mok, senior research fellow with Center for China and Globalization
"The biggest change is the development process itself. China has raised its level in education, in culture, and even in health. China is much more internationalized than it was before.
"The Communist Party leadership is the core reason why China becomes what it becomes. China did not become a capitalist country. It's still socialism with Chinese characteristics. Those characteristics are its people, its culture, its political system, and its history."
-- Alessandro Golombiewski Teixeira, professor of public policy at Tsinghua University
"China always stands out to me at the level of organization. When you assigned China to host Olympics, you can be assured that things are going to go well.
"Not a lot of countries will be able to host Olympics during a pandemic. It's something that only strong countries can actually achieve."
-- Sandrine Nduwimana, director of international liaison dept., China-Africa Business Council
A Xinhua Global Service Production ■
