Voices

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Voices

”Considering the continuous downturn in the current world economy， China-Africa cooperation is bucking the trend by showing thriving vitality. The implementation of the summit outcomes has become a strong impetus for the development of bilateral cooperation，and the US $60 billion in financial aid will act as a catalyst for China-Africa cooperation and promote investment and financing in various aspects. The principle of ‘government guidance， enterprise dominance， market operation，and win-win cooperation‘ is becoming clearer and more effective.”

On August 17， 2016， Eritrea Profile published an article entitled “Coordinators’ Meeting of the FOCAC Johannesburg Summit: Further Promoting China-Africa Relations” written by Qiu Xuejun， Chinese Ambassador to the State of Eritrea. The above is an excerpt from this article.

”G20 activities are set to run throughout the whole year of China‘s presidency， culminating in the G20 Summit. More than 60 events have been or will be held in 20 Chinese cities，including 23 ministerial-level meetings. So far， China has convened three sherpa meetings； three meetings with finance ministers， central bank governors and deputies； and four ministerial meetings on trade，energy， employment and agriculture，respectively. Major side events， such as the Labor 20， the Think Tank 20，the Youth 20， the Women 20 and the Civil 20， were also held successfully.”

On August 23， the Globe and Mail of Canada published an article by Ambassador Luo Zhaohui， of which the above is an extract， entitled “The Hangzhou Plan: Build Consensus， Promote Development.” It focused on the theme and key priorities of the G20 Hangzhou Summit as well as China’s preparatory work， and elaborated on its major goals.

Worth Her Weight

Life Week

Issue No. 36, 2016

Having elevated the squad from fourth place in the Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship in 2013 to an Olympic gold medal in Rio last August， Lang Ping， head coach of the Chinese women’s volleyball team， has carried a heavy load over the past few years. However，continuing to coach the national team seems to her an opportunity to change outdated concepts.

Lang is a legend. A key player in the Chinese women’s volleyball team that scored five straight victories in the World Cup， the World Championships， and the Olympics in the 1980s， she declined the offered post of vice director of the national administration of sport after retiring and went to study in the U.S. There she stayed to work as coach. But she returned to China when the Chinese women’s volleyball team was at its lowest ebb， and brought the squad back to its former top world level. Lang commands incomparable prestige and status in China’s volleyball circle. Her experience as a player in Asia， Europe， and the U.S. and as a coach of professional and national teams has endowed her with the global vision and sporting spirit that brought her and the national team Olympic glory.

Lang has changed outdated concepts of training and athletic rehabilitation and built for the team a multi-faceted support group. She often exchanges ideas with overseas coaches and officials from the Federation Internationale de Volleyball to keep pace with the latest developments. In efforts to improve spiker Zhu Ting’s skills， Lang encouraged Zhu to play in the Turkish league and learn by participating in the world’s most competitive matches.

As past triumphs can be both a resource and a restriction， Lang takes care to make use of the former while avoiding the latter. More important，she has witnessed how globalization and commercialization can motivate sport - an observation that gave her fresh insight into volleyball while living abroad.

What is the spirit of the Chinese women’s volleyball team today？In Lang’s eyes， it is not the desire for championship. Rather， it means exerting the full sum of your energies no matter how slight the possibility of winning. “You might fall. But when you stand up and dust yourself off，you remain focused. You may not always win， but you should never give up striving，” Lang said. This veteran representative of the last generation of volleyball players has thus renewed and infused her life philosophy into the team morale of the new generation.

In addition to achieving remarkable success as both athlete and coach， Lang’s worth lies in her persistence and the innovations she has made while passing down tradition. Over the past 30 years， Lang has experienced an enriched existence that has given her a new perspective on volleyball and life itself.