Quite a different Rudd

Comments on Greg Rudd “Goodwill offers a rich yield”, 25/08/2009, http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25975429-5017272,00.html

When I saw the headline the first time, I was thinking to myself: is this guy related to Kevin Rudd, the PM somewhat? I was thinking about how our PM has handled our relations with China and his expert spin skills and his micromanaging management style.

When I was reading the text, I was totally but pleasantly surprised. Not only I realised that this is a quite different Rudd, but also was deeply impressed by his understanding of the Chinese reality and their long but sometimes often troubled history.

As you would have guessed, I don’t know this Rudd either, more so than my knowledge of the other much more famous Rudd, our PM. Even less about his background apart from the one line introduction at the end of the Australian article: “Greg Rudd is managing director of GPR Asia, based in Beijing. It advises on investment and joint ventures.”

However, I like Greg’s approach to a different people with a quite different culture and history, not to mention with the largest population in the world, AND, as most people in the west would say still having an authoritarian government under a Communist party.

In the long history of human kind, when two different races with different cultures met, it often meant wars. It often was the case that one culture conquered the other or suppressed the other as a result.

Greg’s approach is different. It is based on understanding the other side from their point of view. It is tolerance and coexistence. It is based on mutual benefits and common interests.

It is 21 first century now and yes the cold war has ended for nearly twenty years. So let’s embrace what Greg is doing, end the mentality of the cold war era and work for an inclusively prosperous world for everyone.

I salute Greg Rudd.