Conceptual Gaps on Stability in Chinese and European Contexts

Abstract

Stability is a very important concept in China. It is a special term that enjoys almost the highest frequency of occurrence in the daily talk of common people, the reports of mainstream media, and the speeches of state leadership. In China, the concept of stability is regarded as a very significant guarantee of economic development; so it is one of the issues that concern governmental officials most and a state of living that many common people pursue. As a matter of fact, many problems and issues that have been discussed in the dialogues between China and Europe are closely connected to the concept of stability. However, due to some conceptual gaps, both parties often criticize and scold each other. Such a situation inevitably could lead to some misunderstandings and frictions between China and Europe in the process of their mutual communication and even damages their normal bilateral relations.