Ambassador Lu a versatile diplomat<\/p>\n
Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Departing Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lu Shumin has always
\nkept in mind an important piece of advice on how to come out
\nahead in the survival of the fittest: Adjust, adjust and adjust.<\/p>\n
While this has helped China to grow stronger economically
\nthroughout the years, Lu said it also helped him in dealing with
\npeople from various background during his service as ambassador.<\/p>\n
"The saying goes, 'Time and tide wait for no man,' and the
\nlate chairman Mao Zedong also said that we need to change the
\nmentality and to tap more positive and active approaches to this
\nmatter (of change)," said Lu, who was educated at Carleton and
\nToronto Universities in Canada.<\/p>\n
With such a flexible approach, he said he had been able to
\nadjust to the Indonesian lifestyle, including the cuisine, though
\nhe still found it difficult to identify food by its Indonesian
\nname.<\/p>\n
"I adjust quickly to different situations, so I had no
\ndifficulty with Indonesian food. Moreover, the food here has
\nsimilar ingredients to those used in Chinese cuisine. The seafood
\nin Jimbaran, which we savored during our visit to Bali, is very
\nenjoyable," he told The Jakarta Post in an interview at the
\nChinese Embassy in South Jakarta on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Lu presented his credentials to then president Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri in May, 2002. Lu was born in February, 1950, in
\nShanxi province, which is home to much ancient Chinese cultural
\nheritage, including the World Cultural Heritage Ancient City Wall
\nof Pingyao.<\/p>\n
The 55-year-old father of one began his career in the civil
\nservice after finishing his studies in Canada in 1976. With his
\nfamiliarity with Canada, and North America in general, and his
\nproficiency in English, he was appointed to the Department of
\nNorth American and Oceanian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign
\nAffairs.<\/p>\n
After a year in the department, he returned to Canada to serve
\nat the Chinese Embassy as a staff member. In 1979, he returned to
\nChina to work in the Beijing Diplomatic Service Bureau.<\/p>\n
From 1985 to 1989, he worked in the Chinese Embassy in
\nAustralia, initially as third secretary and then second
\nsecretary.<\/p>\n
From 1989 to 1993, Lu's career took off: from second secretary
\nto deputy director, director and then counselor at his previous
\ndepartment in the foreign ministry. In 1993, he was promoted to
\ndeputy director general of the department.<\/p>\n
In 1994, he was assigned to the United States as the counselor
\nand later the minister counselor at the Chinese Embassy.<\/p>\n
Four years later, he was promoted to director general of the
\nDepartment of North American and Oceanian Affairs before being
\nassigned as ambassador to Indonesia in 2002.<\/p>\n
Though he has spent most of his career in the West, Lu has had
\nnot trouble adjusting to the lifestyle. His affection for golf
\nand tennis help him socialize with the people he meets during his
\noverseas stints.<\/p>\n
"Our country is opening up. People, including diplomats and
\nambassadors, would like to see how China is changing. Golf is
\nbecoming a popular sport in China. It's also a very good means of
\ncommunication, and of making friends.<\/p>\n
"I simply try to do my best to become part of the communities
\n(where I am posted). I try to increase mutual understanding and
\nto foster friendship."<\/p>\n
Lu picked a proverb to emphasize this point. "There's an
\nEnglish saying, 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.' I think here
\nwe can also say, 'When in Jakarta or in Indonesia, do as the
\nIndonesians do.' So you have to adapt yourself to local
\nconditions and try to be part of the community."<\/p>\n
It is the people of Indonesia that attract him the most. He
\nsaid the struggle of the Indonesians in overcoming terrorist
\nattacks, and especially the Acehnese in overcoming the agony of
\nlosing relatives and belongings in the Dec. 26 earthquake and
\ntsunami, left a deep impression on him.<\/p>\n
"These are some things that have left a lasting memory. But
\nit's not because those things actually happened, but because of
\nthe fact that those were the times when people displayed courage
\nto overcome difficulty."<\/p>\n
What he regrets most as he prepares to leave Jakarta on
\nFriday, is losing the opportunity to travel to all of the
\nIndonesian provinces. Some of the places he was able to visit
\ninclude Borobudur Temple in Central Java, Yogyakarta and Bali. He
\nadded that he was greatly impressed by the culture of the Toraja
\npeople of Central Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
"I have been to a dozen provinces but there are a lot more I
\nhave not yet visited, to see the people and the land. This is a
\nsource of some regret.<\/p>\n
"But I think there should be opportunities in the future to
\ncome and see more of this country -- perhaps as a tourist."<\/p>",
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