Direct visits are China’s most powerful tool to counter European misconceptions, according to Carsten Boyer Thogersen, former consul general of Denmark in China’s Shanghai and Guangzhou.
He traces current misunderstandings to 2018 when China-U.S. relations deteriorated and European visits to China declined, creating an “absence of direct communication.” Thogersen advocates for China’s new visa liberalization policies as the remedy, emphasizing that “to see once is better than just hearing, hearing, hearing.” Personal experience across China’s diverse regions remains the most effective way to overcome narratives shaped by geopolitical tensions.
SOURCE: China Says
