Feature | Civilization moistens everything silently like water - the world looks to China to promote harmonious coexistence of civilizations through dialogue
Beijing, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Civilization is like water that moistens everything silently -- the world is looking to China to promote harmonious coexistence of civilizations through dialogue
June 10 this year is the traditional Chinese festival Dragon Boat Festival. From the Miluo River to Lake Xochimilco in Mexico and the Manchester Canal in the UK, people from different countries and cultural backgrounds experience the charm of the integration of civilizations in the unity, hard work and cheerful atmosphere of the dragon boat race. This day is also the first International Day for Dialogue of Civilizations established by the United Nations General Assembly, witnessing China's latest efforts to promote dialogue and mutual learning among civilizations together with other countries.
"Here, I would like to put forward the global civilization initiative." On March 15 last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping issued a sincere appeal to the world at the High-level Dialogue between the Communist Party of China and World Political Parties to deepen exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations and promote the progress of human civilization.
The Global Civilization Initiative has contributed Chinese wisdom to the prosperity of the world's garden of civilizations, and has been widely recognized and echoed by the international community for more than a year since it was proposed. As Chinese Permanent Representative to the United Nations Fu Cong said, the General Assembly's resolution on establishing the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations fully reflects the core essence of the Global Civilization Initiative, and once again demonstrates that Chinese ideas and solutions are increasingly becoming an international consensus.
After China proposed the resolution, it was adopted by consensus at the 78th UN General Assembly, and the majority of UN member states co-signed and supported the resolution. The establishment of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations is what everyone expected.
"We should give full play to the important role of dialogue among civilizations in eliminating discrimination and prejudice, enhancing understanding and trust, promoting mutual understanding among peoples, and strengthening unity and cooperation, so as to inject positive energy into the unity of human society in responding to common challenges." Fu Cong explained the original intention of promoting the establishment of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations by the UN General Assembly.
UNESCO Assistant Director-General Ramos said that intercultural dialogue is a means of mutual understanding, cooperation and trust-building. The establishment of the International Day for Dialogue of Civilizations is an "opportunity to tap the potential of dialogue", which can "build bridges across differences" and thus provide a means to address all challenges.
The advocacy and cherishment of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations is consistent with the view of civilization expounded by President Xi Jinping at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France 10 years ago: "We should promote mutual respect and harmonious coexistence among different civilizations, and make exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations a bridge to enhance the friendship of peoples of all countries, a driving force for the progress of human society, and a bond to maintain world peace."
"Ten years later, every word President Xi Jinping said in his speech has not become outdated, and is even more relevant." Irina Bokova, then Director-General of UNESCO, once listened to President Xi Jinping's important speech on the spot. "President Xi Jinping's idea of promoting dialogue among civilizations and respecting the diversity of civilizations is of vital importance at the moment," she said in an interview with reporters. "Mutual learning among civilizations plays an increasingly important role in promoting world peace and development," and "China will make many contributions to the world in this regard."
Nagmana Hashmi, former Pakistani ambassador to China, said that China has always firmly advocated and promoted mutual learning among civilizations, and has promoted mutual understanding among different civilizations, races and nationalities through launching the International Day for Dialogue of Civilizations and other means. She sincerely agrees with this.
The vitality of civilization lies in communication, exchange and integration. "A thousand miles apart, no one feels far away. The light of civilization shines on each other." As a cultural event of this year's China-France Cultural Tourism Year, the "Forbidden City and Versailles Palace" special exhibition is being held in the Palace Museum in Beijing, with about 200 cultural relics showing in detail the history of cultural exchange between China and France.
In the most famous Karnak Temple area in the ancient city of Luxor in southern Egypt, archaeologists from China and Egypt have, after nearly six years of cooperative excavations, gradually restored the ruins of the Temple of Montu, which had been sealed for more than 3,000 years, to its former glory, building a new bridge of friendship for the exchange and mutual learning of Chinese and Egyptian civilizations.
From hosting cultural tourism years with many countries, cooperating in archaeological research, translating classic works, to hosting the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations and other home diplomacy, China's actions in implementing the Global Civilization Initiative are obvious to all. Cheikh Ndiaye, former editor-in-chief of the Senegal News Agency, believes that China has always actively advocated dialogue among different civilizations and "made long-term contributions to the world."
Wu Changhong, foreign director of the Confucius Institute at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, said that the proposal to establish an International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations "not only reflects China's firm support for multilateralism and the work of the United Nations, but also reflects China's responsibility as a major country in the midst of great changes in the past century."
In May this year, during his state visit to France, President Xi Jinping presented several Chinese-translated French novels to French President Emmanuel Macron, including Ninety-Three, Madame Bovary, The Red and the Black, Le Père Goriot, The Lady of the Camellias, and The Three Musketeers. President Macron also prepared a "book gift" for President Xi Jinping: Meditations, a work by Victor Hugo published in 1856.
"As important representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations, China and France have always appreciated and attracted each other." President Xi Jinping spoke of the civilizational heritage of "making friends through books."
Civilizations are colorful because of exchanges, and they are enriched by mutual learning. Since the new era, from home diplomacy, state visits to multilateral platforms, President Xi Jinping has repeatedly explained China's view of civilization to the world, put forward China's initiative to promote dialogue and exchanges among civilizations in line with the trend of the times, and personally promoted exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations, enhancing mutual understanding and friendship among people of all countries.
"Civilizations are colorful," "Civilizations are equal," and "Civilizations are inclusive." At the UNESCO headquarters, President Xi Jinping proposed that exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations are an important driving force for promoting the progress of human civilization and world peace and development. "The beauty of a harmonious soup lies in the combination of differences." At the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, he explained that the diversity of human civilization is a basic feature of the world and the source of human progress. "Civilizations communicate because of diversity, learn from each other because of exchanges, and develop because of mutual learning." At the opening ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, he emphasized the need to consolidate the humanistic foundation for jointly building a community with a shared future for Asia and a community with a shared future for mankind...
Former Greek President Pavlopoulos told reporters that he had held dialogues with President Xi Jinping on human civilization many times from Athens to Beijing, and they deeply resonated in the exchange of ideas. In his view, as President Xi Jinping has stated, world civilization should be continuously enriched and improved through cooperation and dialogue among different civilizations, and countries working together to strengthen dialogue among civilizations will be beneficial to peace and unity. "If all countries in the world uphold this concept, the road ahead for mankind will become wider and wider," Pavlopoulos said.
"Civilizations differ in color but not in quality," President Xi Jinping's words impressed Brazilian Oriental Studies professor and Portuguese translator of the Book of Changes Gustavo Pinto, who also felt the same way. "Different civilizations should maintain mutual exchanges, mutual learning and mutual reference."
In the view of British international relations expert Keith Bennett, President Xi Jinping’s advocacy of promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations at multiple levels “will not only promote the development of science and cognition, but also promote mutual understanding, peace and friendship.”
"Civilized dialogue oriented towards problem solving"
Located in the Hexi Corridor of China, the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang created a miracle of exchange and integration in the dialogue between Eastern and Western civilizations thousands of years ago, and now continue to witness the vibrant dialogue between civilizations in the new era. Recently, envoys and high-level diplomats from 22 countries came to this palace of civilization to discuss the contemporary significance of the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations.
Samoa's ambassador to China Luamanuwe Marina said that such a dialogue on civilizations is "interesting and fruitful." The joint construction of the "Belt and Road" cooperation will make more contributions to the world. At the same time, countries thousands of miles apart can also find cultural commonalities through the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" and seek common ground while reserving differences in dialogue.
Throughout human history, what often separates people is not mountains and rivers, nor the depths of the sea, but the gap in people's mutual understanding. At present, multiple crises and challenges are intertwined and superimposed, and the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change. Human society has once again come to a crossroads in history.
“The prosperity of civilizations and the progress of mankind are inseparable from seeking common ground while reserving differences, openness and inclusiveness, and exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.” “We should seek wisdom and draw nourishment from different civilizations, provide people with spiritual support and spiritual comfort, and work together to solve the various challenges facing mankind.”... President Xi Jinping’s words contain the answer to how to use the key of dialogue among civilizations to solve the dilemma of the times.
Not long ago, the "International Symposium on the Concept of Exchange and Mutual Learning among Civilizations" was held at the UNESCO headquarters. Euan McVey-Jones, a project specialist of the UNESCO Intercultural Dialogue Department, who attended the seminar, believed that dialogue helps build trust and cooperation. The world today faces many challenges such as climate change, regional conflicts and digital governance, and dialogue among civilizations can be an effective tool to deal with these challenges.
In the view of Kenyan international affairs expert Kelvin Adhere, dialogue among civilizations is the only way to achieve sustainable global peace, security and inclusive development. "We look forward to China continuing to promote problem-solving-oriented dialogue among civilizations and promoting consensus among different civilizations through dialogue."
Looking to the future, China in the new era will continue to be a promoter and practitioner of dialogue among civilizations. It is willing to work with the international community to strive to create a new situation in which people-to-people exchanges, cultural integration, and mutual understanding among countries in the world will occur, and to build the world's garden of civilizations into a more prosperous, colorful, and vibrant place.
