he Global Civilization Dialogue Ministerial Meeting was held in Beijing from July 10 to 11, a showcase to call attention to the importance of diversity and respect for shared values among civilizations.
Themed “Safeguarding Diversity of Human Civilizations for World Peace and Development,” the meeting, hosted by the Publicity Department and the International Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attracted over 600 guests from 140 countries and regions.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to the meeting, stressing that the world is, in nature, a place of diverse civilizations, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
“History shows that exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations are essential for civilizations to flourish and for human progress to be made,” Xi said, adding that “there is an ever-pressing need for civilizations to transcend estrangement through exchanges, and to transcend clashes through mutual learning.”
Xi said that China is ready to work with other countries to uphold the vision of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness between civilizations, act on the Global Civilization Initiative, promote the building of a global network for dialogue and cooperation among civilizations, and inject new impetus into the progress of human civilization and the peace and development of the world. Xi hopes that participating representatives will engage in in-depth exchanges to build consensus and contribute their wisdom and strength to the goal of promoting understanding and friendship among peoples of different countries and achieving harmonious coexistence among different civilizations.
Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, built on Xi’s message in his speech at the opening ceremony. He said that China’s Global Civilization Initiative which President Xi proposed two years ago has received an enthusiastic response and active support from the international community. He pointed out that the Global Civilization Initiative is rooted in fine traditional Chinese culture and that its core essence is to seek common ground while reserving differences and to achieve harmonious coexistence, echoing the multicultural integration and coexistence philosophies held by many countries around the world.
During the two-day event, six parallel sub-forums were held where participants discussed the importance of exchanges among different civilizations and how to advance technological innovations to build a more inclusive world and promote global development.
Some of the delegates visited Zhejiang Province, which leads the country in high-tech and green development, and Shandong Province where the prominent Chinese philosopher Confucius was born.
At the end of the two-day event, the delegations issued a joint declaration, agreeing to maintain the diversity of different civilizations and increase exchanges and cooperation to promote mutual equality and respect.
According to the Foreign Ministry of China, former Indonesian president Megawati Soekarnoputri, former Namibian president Nangolo Mbumba, former Japanese prime minister Yukio Hatoyama and former Belgian prime minister Yves Leterme delivered speeches at the meeting, agreeing with the notion that respecting the diversity of civilizations and jointly promoting world peace and development are major issues concerning the future and destiny of humanity.
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