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I have a piece of advice for Mr. Trudeau
Updated 10:42, 13-Aug-2021
By Xia Jixuan
Xia Jixuan got this advice from Pierre Elliot Trudeau in 1986 when he worked as a reporter for China Radio International. Xia Jixuan/CGTN

Xia Jixuan got this advice from Pierre Elliot Trudeau in 1986 when he worked as a reporter for China Radio International. Xia Jixuan/CGTN

Actually, I'm passing this piece of advice on to Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada. I hope he can recognize this signature.

I got this advice from Pierre Elliott Trudeau in the mid-1980s when I worked as a reporter for China Radio International. One day in April that year, a Canadian friend told me that Mr. Trudeau was in Beijing for a couple of days. As I had always a keen interest in Canada, I jumped at the chance and luckily got a 30-minute slot from his busy schedule.

I arrived at the Great Wall Hotel where he was staying 10 minutes ahead of the meeting. So I waited outside his suite. It so happened that his assistant came out to pick up something and invited me in. Since I had only 30 minutes from the busy man, I immediately set out my equipment and got ready for the interview. In a few minutes, Mr. Trudeau walked into the sitting room – somehow, he appeared a little shorter than he looked on TV but  was in good spirits.

After a brief self-introduction, I began with my questions on his comment on China, Sino-Canadian relations and the international situation. Among other things, he highly appraised China's disarmament plan announced by Deng Xiaoping earlier in the year, stressed that his decision to improve ties with China was based on sound political judgment and the wellbeing of his people and that peace and cooperation should be guiding principles for international relations.

When I asked what suggestion he had to improve China's modernization drive, he thought for a while and said: Beijing is a metropolis suffering from a water shortage, but somehow major hotels in the city are equipped with large American standard toilets which consume too much water. If Beijing replaces these toilets with toilets that have smaller water tanks, it will help alleviate the water shortage problem.

Frankly speaking, I was surprised that a statesman like him would have noticed such details. Yet, I was tempted to ask him for advice on my career. He nodded in agreement. I gave him my notebook and watched in anticipation.

As I was standing in front of him, I read what he was writing upside down. It looked like "Row against the correct." I was puzzled and asked: Why should I row against the correct? He finished his signature, looked up and said: No, it's not row against the correct, but row against the current. I felt embarrassed but learned my lesson: do not jump to a conclusion even if it's seemingly correct.

After I filed my story for the day, I wrote a memo for the Beijing municipal government about Mr. Trudeau's suggestion. I don't know what happened to the memo, but I later found out that hotels in Beijing began using toilets with smaller water tanks.

To me, Pierre Elliott Trudeau was a great statesman, holding onto his political wisdom to work for his people and country despite pressure from home and abroad. He also tried to help China by pointing out problems and offering solutions. That's why he has earned the respect of both the Canadian and Chinese people.

So, Justin Trudeau, please take note of the advice written by your father.

(Author Xia Jixuan is a retired journalist from China Radio International.)

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