Zhou Qi: Deeply Grasping the Rich Connotations of "Promoting Exchanges and Mutual Learning Among Civilizations" | Marxism Research Network

Recently, at the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus" summit, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "We must continue to promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, writing a brilliant chapter of peaceful coexistence, amity, and harmony among countries with different histories and cultures, different social systems, and different developmental stages." Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping, standing upon the broad trend of the development of human civilization, has proposed the major proposition of "promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations." He has emphasized the need to "establish a view of civilization based on equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness," and has articulated a series of important discourses such as "civilizations communicate because of diversity, learn from each other because of communication, and develop because of mutual learning." These statements constitute a profound summation of the laws governing the development of human civilization and point the way forward for its evolution. Deeply grasping the rich connotation of "promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations" is of great significance for resolving the common challenges facing human civilization and promoting the progress of humanity.

"The beauty of a fine soup lies in the combining of different ingredients" ^[1]. Over the long course of history, humanity has created and developed a diverse array of civilizations. Civilizational diversity, like biodiversity in nature, is a fundamental characteristic of the world and a natural imprint engraved upon the process of human development. It both highlights the vast differences between various civilizations and embodies the unique charm formed through civilizational fusion and communication; it is a dialectical unity of identity and difference. Because the birth and development of human civilizations are influenced by multiple factors, different civilizations have formed developmental paths and forms with their own distinct characteristics. Only by taking the respect for civilizational diversity as a prerequisite and upholding the concept of equality in conducting civilizational dialogues can we promote mutual learning between civilizations.

Civilization is the result of humanity’s subjective transformation of the world under objective conditions; it is an embodiment of human power and possesses equality in a fundamental sense. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Civilizations are equal, and only through equality can human civilizations have the prerequisite for exchange and mutual learning. All human civilizations are equal in value; they all have their own strengths and their own deficiencies. No civilization in the world is perfect, nor is any civilization devoid of merit. There is no distinction between high and low or superior and inferior civilizations." To understand the true essence of various civilizations, one must maintain an attitude of equality and humility. We should base our approach on the objective and historical existence of civilizational diversity, deepen our cognition of the uniqueness of different civilizations, fully respect the institutional creations and road choices of different civilizations, and persist in the equality of development rights. By maintaining mutual respect and treating one another as equals, we can allow various civilizations to coexist in harmony, achieving a state where "each appreciates its own beauty, appreciates the beauty of others, and all beauties are shared in unity" ^[2].

"The sea is vast because it admits all rivers; its greatness comes from its capacity for inclusion" ^[3]. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Civilizations are inclusive, and only through inclusiveness can human civilizations have the impetus for exchange and mutual learning." Inclusiveness, as an inherent quality of civilization, is manifested in the open and accepting posture that different civilizations take toward diversity and difference; furthermore, it embodies a spiritual character that actively embraces the external world. Every civilization is unique; all civilizational achievements deserve respect, and all civilizational achievements must be cherished. Only by persisting in inclusion and mutual learning can we better understand the deep-seated laws governing the prosperity and development of human civilization. This requires that different civilizations conduct exchanges and enhance understanding, discovering and absorbing the developmental achievements of other civilizations through dialogue, and realizing the mutual embedding of excellent elements between different civilizations, thereby continuously stimulating civilizational vitality.

Exchange and mutual learning are the essential requirements for civilizational development. Advancing civilizational exchange and mutual learning requires seeking common ground while reserving differences ^[4], learning from others' strengths to offset one's own weaknesses, and striving for harmonious coexistence and win-win cooperation. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We all live on the same planet. This planet has over 200 countries and regions, over 2,500 ethnic groups, and over 7 billion people. It is impossible to make it all one uniform color. Such differences should not become obstacles to exchange, and even less should they become reasons for confrontation." In the long river of human civilizational development, various civilizations have precipitated unique spiritual qualities and value cores, constituting unique markers that distinguish them from others. All living organisms require metabolism, and civilizations are the same; if they remain closed off to the world for a long time, they will inevitably decline. If a civilization wishes to maintain vigorous vitality, it must continuously enrich its own connotation through contact with other civilizations. By persisting in openness, inclusiveness, and mutual learning, and by actively absorbing the intellectual nutrients from other civilizations that fit one's own developmental needs, a civilization can inject continuous momentum into its own development, maintaining eternal vitality through "inclusive integration" ^[5]. Thus, different civilizations can both maintain their own subjectivity and realize rich development by learning from others' strengths and choosing what is good. This makes one’s own national civilization vibrant while also creating conditions for the development of others, allowing the "garden of world civilizations" to bloom with all its flowers.

III

The world is a unity of particularity and universality; universality resides within particularity and is expressed through it. Human civilization is the same: emphasizing the diversity and difference of civilizations does not mean denying that different civilizations share many commonalities in their pursuit of values. Although the history, culture, systems, and developmental levels of different civilizations vary, they always possess the commonality that "people share the same heart, and hearts share the same reason" ^[6], and they possess common value pursuits. World civilizations are beautiful because of diversity, rich because of exchange, and colorful because of fusion.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has on many occasions advocated for the promotion of "the common values of humanity"—peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom. At the "Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus" summit, he called for us to "provide a 'SCO demonstration' for promoting the common values of humanity." In his important speech at the reception commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, he pointed out: "Justice, light, and progress will surely defeat evil, darkness, and reaction. At all times, we must promote the common values of humanity and firmly defend international equity and justice, so that the world is filled with righteousness and the universe remains clear." The "common values of humanity" recognize civilizational diversity and difference while condensing the greatest common denominator of human civilizational value pursuits; it is a constructive worldview oriented toward practice. In the era of economic globalization, we must follow the trend of history, create an international environment of peaceful development, construct a world order of equity and justice, persist in the common pursuit of democracy and freedom, and respect the explorations of people in different countries regarding the paths to realizing these values. We must embody the common values of humanity concretely and realistically in the practice of safeguarding the interests of our own people, working together to solve the difficult problems facing human society and promoting the development of human civilization.

The progress of civilization is not achieved once and for all; rather, it involves continuous succession, inheritance, innovation, and development. Historically, various civilizations have encountered and fulfilled one another, jointly promoting the great development and prosperity of human society and writing a brilliant chapter of "sharing beauty" and mutual learning. Today, the world faces challenges such as climate change, energy crises, and intensifying conflicts. This requires all civilizational entities to work together in full cooperation, continuously strengthening exchanges in fields such as economy, politics, culture, education, sports, and art. We must actively establish civilizational dialogue mechanisms, promote civilizational exchange, mutual learning, and innovative fusion, and drive human civilization toward a more open, inclusive, harmonious, and sustainable direction.

All countries should persist in dialogue and cooperation, and while promoting the development and progress of their own civilizations, they should jointly address the difficult problems of human civilizational development. On one hand, we must inherit fine traditions and revitalize human cultural heritage, deeply rooting the historical foundations of civilizational progress. On the other hand, we must constantly draw intellectual nourishment from the spirit of the times, using innovation to add momentum to civilizational development, creating civilizational achievements that transcend time and space and are full of charm, thereby achieving civilizational sharing. The Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, the Global Governance Initiative... the Chinese concepts, initiatives, and solutions proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping to answer the "questions of the world" and the "questions of the times" have injected stability and certainty into a turbulent world. They provide new impetus and contribute Chinese wisdom to global peaceful development and the progress of human civilization. We should further strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, promote cooperation between countries, and assist global civilizational dialogue, letting the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations become a bridge for enhancing friendship between peoples, a driver for the progress of human society, and a bond for maintaining world peace.