China is ready to work with other countries in building a global network for dialogue and cooperation among civilizations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on July 10. Xi, also General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the statement in a congratulatory letter to the Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting.

The event, themed Safeguarding Diversity of Human Civilizations for World Peace and Development, ran in Beijing on July 10-11. It was co-hosted by the Publicity Department and the International Department of the CPC Central Committee and attracted over 600 participants from 140 countries and regions.

A welcome initiative

Xi pledged that China will work with other countries to champion equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, and implement the Global Civilizations Initiative (GCI), in a bid to provide new impetus for advancing human civilizations and promoting world peace and development.

The GCI, proposed by Xi in 2023, calls for respecting the diversity of civilizations, promoting common human values, valuing the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and enhancing international people-to-people exchange and cooperation.

"The world is, in nature, a place of diverse civilizations," Xi said in the letter. "History has shown us that exchange and mutual learning among civilizations are essential for civilizations to flourish and human progress to be made."

In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony, Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, said the GCI, which is deeply rooted in China's fine traditional culture, has received enthusiastic responses and positive echoes from the international community.

Noting that the path to global peace and development remains long and challenging, Cai called for joint efforts to explore diverse development models, strengthen cultural inheritance and innovation, advance cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and build a diverse and multi-dimensional global network for dialogue and cooperation among civilizations.

According to a recent survey, released at one of the meeting's sub-forums, themed Inter-Civilization Exchanges and Mutual Learning: Cultural Inheritance and Innovation, global respondents believe that exchange and mutual learning among civilizations can inject stability into a turbulent world, and the GCI has evolved into a broad consensus for addressing global challenges.

The survey, jointly conducted by China Global Television Network (CGTN) and Renmin University of China, covered 12,302 people across 41 countries worldwide.

Raphael Tuju, former Kenyan Cabinet Secretary, views the GCI as a "mutually beneficial" model respecting diversity. "Chinese people are peaceful people, and Chinese civilization is about many centuries. I think we have a lot to learn from China," he told Beijing Review at the meeting.

"The ability to share and live together and respect each other—mutual respect—is an important attribute of civilization," Tuju stressed.

Conversation trumps conflict

In a video message recorded for the opening ceremony, UN Secretary General António Guterres emphasized that dialogue is the path to peace.

Guterres said conflict, intolerance and misinformation are pushing the world to the brink of fragmentation. Against this backdrop, dialogue is more important than ever and the rich diversity of civilizations is a powerful force for mutual understanding and global solidarity, he stressed.

On June 7, 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution, declaring June 10 the International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations. Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, the resolution emphasizes the role of dialogue in maintaining global peace, advancing shared development, enhancing human wellbeing and achieving collective progress.

As the world grapples with multiple interconnected crises, "the urgent need for solidarity, dialogue and cooperation has never been more evident," according to the UN.

When some countries revert to zero-sum thinking and wars and confrontations continue to repeat endlessly around the world, China has raised the banner of peaceful development, former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said at the meeting.

By proposing the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity, China transcends hegemonic logic and embraces the diversity of civilizations, injecting sustainable strength into global governance, according to him.

"This year sees the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. At this juncture, China and Japan should take history as a lesson and demonstrate to the world a path to break the vicious cycle of division and hatred," Hatoyama added.

Former Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme underlined the need to strengthen dialogue among civilizations in today's challenging times.

To promote the shared values of humanity, countries should foster constructive dialogue to encourage exchange among civilizations, create more opportunities for groups and individuals to understand each other's cultures, he stressed, calling for eliminating barriers and misunderstandings, building consensus and actively pursuing cooperation.

Tuju urged the international community to reject "us versus them" narratives and embrace common humanity instead of allowing cultural differences to spark conflict. "We need all the voices of the world not just to notice one or two voices, because we share this planet," he said.

He referenced a core traditional value in African cultures, the ubuntu philosophy, which translates to "I am because we are." Ubuntu similarly stresses mutual respect, care and selflessness. "We may look different or speak different languages," he pointed out. "But we share many of the same human values."

Charalambos Christodoulou, Vice President of the EDEK Socialist Party, a social-democratic political party in Cyprus, said the event sent a strong message to the world: Dialogue can build a better future. "I hope to connect here with future changemakers from across sectors and nations, so we can work together to promote peace and friendship," he told Beijing Review at the meeting.

Creating inclusivity

At parallel sub-forums, participants explored the pivotal role of inter-civilizational exchange and mutual learning in building an inclusive world and promoting global development and prosperity, cultural inheritance and innovation, understanding and friendship among peoples, scientific and technological progress, and academic exchange.

Du Zhanyuan, President of China International Communications Group (CICG), emphasized the irreplaceable role young people play in promoting mutual learning between civilizations and preserving cultural heritage.

He noted that youth are the inheritors of their respective cultures, driven by a strong desire for knowledge and cross-cultural exchange. According to Du, young people across the globe tend to view China, and the world at large, more positively than older age groups.

He cited historical figures such as Zhang Qian, an imperial envoy in China's Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-A.D. 220), legendary Italian explorer Marco Polo and French priest and Sinologist Joachim Bouvet, who served as ambassadors of civilizations and all made great contributions to cultural exchange in their younger years. "In times of great change, we must pay more attention to identifying and cultivating young leaders who are eager to engage in civilizational dialogue," Du said.

Speaking of mutual learning among civilizations, Li Yafang, President of the Academy of Contemporary China and World Studies, stressed that the right way is to find a balance between the universality of global governance rules and the particularity of national cultures. "We need a global system that is integrated and efficient, while also respecting the diversity and independence of different civilizations," she said.

The ancient Silk Road was not created for tourism or leisure, but was fundamentally driven by business, according to Tuju. People traveled from one region to another to sell goods and to engage in commerce across continents and civilizations. "I think the foundation of any strong people-to-people relationship starts with increased economic exchange between countries and cultures," he said.

"That business must be structured in a way that is win-win for both sides. If only one side profits, the relationship becomes unsustainable—and eventually, it will break down," he concluded.

(Print Edition Title: Dialogue Dynamics)

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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