Civilizational dialogue a must in turbulent world: Global Times

BEIJING, July 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The year 2025 marks not only the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, but also the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN). Yet, the current international landscape is witnessing a rare convergence of turmoil and transformation unseen in the past eight decades. As a multitude of complex and volatile factors continue to accumulate, humanity once again stands at a crossroads in the pursuit of peace and development.

GCI injects Chinese wisdom into global governance

In today's world marked by intertwined chaos and change, China has emerged as a key stabilizing force - upholding the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, committed to advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics and promoting civilizational diversity, mutual learning and win-win cooperation. It offers a Chinese approach to restoring global stability, fostering shared interests among nations and placing the well-being of people at the heart of global governance.

President Xi Jinping's launch of the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) on March 15, 2023, provided the world with a strategic roadmap and guiding philosophy to overcome the current international disorder.

The development of human history over thousands of years has been a process of the rise of civilizations across different regions, ethnicities and countries. However, in the early stages of this process - when civilizations started at different times and held diverse values and beliefs - it was marked by frequent wars and conquests. Since the Age of Discovery and the Industrial Revolution, the past 500 years of world history have witnessed a shift from Europe to North America. While the US and the West led in technological innovation, industrialization and colonial expansion, the world also entered a phase of mutual openness, where no country or civilization could remain isolated from the rest.

Civilization is not only about institutions, power and practice - it is also about belief, reason and innovation. Respecting the diversity of world civilizations and encouraging countries to engage in civilizational dialogue based on shared human values and dignity, through mutual respect and cooperation, are essential for enhancing inclusiveness, promoting mutual learning and achieving win-win cooperation. This is the only viable path toward unity and synergy among nations and peoples in a turbulent and uncertain world. The essence of civilizational dialogue is to reduce internal strife and friction within our global village, strengthen mutual respect and shared interests among countries and ethnic groups, and enable joint action based on common goals.

China's GCI places emphasis not only on the shared goals and direction of mutual respect and joint action among humanity, but also on upholding global governance anchored in the purposes of the UN Charter and supported by international organizations. More importantly, it seeks to advance civilizational dialogue, people-to-people exchanges and social interaction among nations. By fostering institutionalized and structured relationships, the initiative provides solid and effective momentum and mechanisms for mutual learning among civilizations, inclusive cooperation, and collective action among countries and peoples.

Closer people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning are a sure way to eliminate estrangement and misunderstanding and promote mutual understanding among nations. Countries around the world should create more platforms and mechanisms, open more channels, and explore more paths to facilitate exchanges, mutual learning and integration among diverse civilizations. Civilizational dialogue and mutual learning rely on the collective efforts and cooperation of all nations to build a more harmonious and prosperous world - one in which global harmony and prosperity can in turn strengthen and sustain the spiritual vitality of each country and its people. The GCI has already infused global politics with powerful Chinese wisdom.

Conduct dialogue and meet global challenges together

In May 2019, President Xi pointed out at the opening ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations that diversity spurs interaction among civilizations, which in turn promotes mutual learning and their further development. Since March 2023, President Xi has repeatedly expounded on China's thoughts on mutual learning among civilizations and equality and inclusiveness in his remarks and speeches for dialogues and exchanges between China and foreign countries. On July 3, 2023, President Xi sent a congratulatory letter to the third Dialogue on Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations and the first World Conference of Sinologists. Xi said that in the long course of human history, various nations have created civilizations with their own characteristics and symbols, and equal exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations will provide strong spiritual guidance for mankind to solve the problems of the times and achieve common development. He stressed that China is willing to work with all parties to advocate the universal values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom, and implement the GCI. Xi said cultural exchanges will transcend estrangement, mutual learning will transcend clashes and coexistence will transcend feelings of superiority so that human civilizations can make progress.

The GCI is an important part of the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind. It advocates respecting the diversity of world civilizations, promoting the common values of all mankind, attaching importance to the inheritance and innovation of civilizations and strengthening international cultural exchanges and cooperation. It will inject development momentum into building a closer global partnership.

In June 2024, the 78th UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proposed by China and more than 80 other countries to establish June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, which conforms to the universal desire of people of all countries to promote dialogue among civilizations and promote human progress. The Chinese government and people promote dialogue among civilizations to advocate respect for the diversity of world civilizations and abandon arrogance and prejudice; promote the common values of all mankind and tear down walls instead of building them; advocate attaching importance to the inheritance and innovation of civilizations and opening up new forms of human civilization; strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation and promote mutual understanding and communication with people from all over the world.

Under the guidance of the GCI, the ongoing dialogue and exchanges between Chinese and foreign civilizations will not only strengthen the policy coordination between them in the international economy, finance and global governance, but will also jointly respond to global challenges, inject more vitality into multilateralism, and prevent the world from falling into hegemonic conflicts and camp confrontations. China has always stood on the right side of history and on the side of fairness and justice, advocating an equal and orderly world multi-polarization and inclusive economic globalization, promoting a world with a bright future of peace, security, prosperity and progress. Dialogue among civilizations is a bond of peace, a driving force for development and a bridge of friendship.

SOURCE Global Times