For more than five decades, the former prime minister of France, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, has been witnessing China's tremendous development. As a prominent figure in Europe, Raffarin has long promoted understanding between China and the world. He praised the Chinese people for their hard work and intelligence, and said that China will certainly be active on the global stage for a long time to come. He thinks that it is never easy to understand the profound Chinese civilization, but it is important to understand the importance of engagement with China. "We can have different opinions, different strategies ... but in the long run, we need to have cooperation with China," he said.