by Francisco Javier Paz Atencio
Journalist and Editor of Colegio de Periodistas de Panamá, Panamá
Chongqing is a city that is expanding towards a development framed in the value of its culture as respect for the historical significance it has for China.
For me, as a journalist who has not visited many countries, the fact that this is the first city in China that I visit gives me an idea of the vision that this great country has to continue providing well-being to its population.
Three days of visits to companies and cultural, logistical and scientific research centers have allowed me to identify the strategic design that the Chinese government has with this important province as a point to develop commercial exchange from the southwest to other potential markets such as Europe and Southeast Asia.
The preservation of their culture is an experience never before lived that remains for me a teaching from how ancient dynasties worked ceramics to using nature for their benefit with the manufacture of clothing and with this they reaffirmed their identity.
Another issue I admire is its public transportation system. A city where 31.91 million people move daily and you don’t see the chaos that, for example, Panama City, where I live, and whose agglomeration is 1.5 million inhabitants.
Observing the monorail being part of its architecture gives me an idea of what will be the third line of the Panama Metro that is currently being built towards the western sector whose residents are the ones who have most deteriorated their quality of life due to the transportation problem.
This medium gives a futuristic vision to this city beyond the famous station that crosses a residential building and is internationally famous.
I have seen a great city and I am sure that it is only part of it because the machinery I saw in the streets tells me that in a few years it will be better than it is today.
My country is trying to design its future, which, due to its geographical position, focuses on being a logistical, air, technological and commercial hub that complements the contribution that the Panama Canal gives to humanity today.
At the same time, it rescues its cultural identity with the restoration of historical sites and improving the centers of expression in the places where they emerged.
There is a long way to go and what Chongqing does is a beautiful experience of how to move forward with more speed and determination.
I trust that this will not be my last trip to China and that with my help through my journalistic work you will be able to know what this country does not only for the world, but also for its people.
Although I could not interact with its inhabitants anymore, I observed a lot of hospitality and kindness in each person I met and that smile infected me and gave me more joy to be here.
Exchange is the development of peoples and hopefully far from all ideological prejudices we will take into account that experiences of larger nations such as China can lead us to improve the conditions of people in other parts of the world.
I conclude by reaffirming what I said at the seminar on Cultural Awareness of the Press, that while others shout, China continues to help the world as it knows how to do: working without imposing anything on anyone.
*The views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the individual authors and do not reflect the position of the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Journalist Network.