Chen Li: Providing Chinese Solutions to Promote the Progress of Human Civilization

In his keynote speech at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the Global Civilization Initiative for the first time, comprehensively elaborating a Chinese-path solution to promote the inclusive coexistence, exchange, and mutual learning of different civilizations. Following the proposal of building a community with a shared future for humanity, the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, and the Global Security Initiative, this is another important public good provided to the international community by the communists of China in the New Era. It holds profound significance for promoting exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations and advancing the progress of human civilization.

We must jointly advocate for respecting the diversity of world civilizations. The diversity of human civilizations is a fundamental characteristic of our world and a source of human progress. Throughout the long course of history, humanity has created and developed colorful and diverse civilizations. Every civilization is rooted in its own soil of survival, embodying the wisdom and spiritual pursuits of a specific country and nation. In the world today, there are over 200 countries and regions, more than 2,500 ethnic groups, and over 5,000 languages. Different civilizations are diverse and each has its own strengths; there is no distinction of superior or inferior, only differences in characteristics and geography. Humanity lives in a world composed of different cultures, races, skin colors, religions, and social systems. The inclusive coexistence, exchange, and mutual learning of different civilizations play an irreplaceable role in advancing the modernization process of human society and flourishing the "hundred-flower garden" of world civilizations ^[1]. We must respect the diversity of world civilizations, establish a view of civilization based on equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness, and reject the theories of "civilizational superiority" or the "clash of civilizations." We must respect the exploration of development paths by the people of different countries, ensuring that civilizational exchange transcends estrangement, mutual learning transcends conflict, and inclusiveness transcends superiority, thereby promoting mutual respect and harmonious coexistence. Chinese-path modernization is a great creation of the Chinese people led by the Communist Party of China. This new form of human civilization ^[2] reflects and learns from other global civilizations and will surely greatly enrich the garden of world civilizations.

We must jointly advocate for promoting the common values of all humanity. Humanity lives in an interconnected and interdependent global village, increasingly becoming a community with a shared future where "you are in me and I am in you." Peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom are the common pursuits of all peoples, containing their shared expectations for a better life and serving as correct conceptual guides for the international community to build a beautiful world together. Due to differences in history, culture, systems, and development levels, the common values of all humanity both contain the commonalities of different civilizations regarding the connotation and realization of values, and are closely linked to the specific national conditions of different countries; they are historical, specific, and practical. To promote the common values of all humanity, we must fully respect the diversity of civilizations. We cannot treat common human values as the exclusive patent of certain countries, nor can we simply draw lines based on so-called values to create small circles or cliques, engage in "values-based diplomacy," or even crudely interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. We must abandon zero-sum games and the Cold War mentality, break free from ideological prejudice, and understand the perceptions of value connotations in different civilizations with a broad mind. We should not impose our own values and models on others, but rather respect the exploration of value realization paths by people of different countries, better gathering the spiritual strength of human civilizational progress to realize the values sought by humanity for thousands of years.

We must jointly advocate for emphasizing the inheritance and innovation of civilizations. One can only open up the future by not forgetting the past ^[3], and one can better innovate by being adept at inheritance. Every civilization carries the spiritual lineage of a country and a nation; it requires both the "passing of the torch" from generation to generation and the courage to innovate and advance with the times. We must fully tap into the contemporary value of the history and culture of all countries, promoting the creative transformation and innovative development ^[4] of the fine traditional cultures of all nations during the process of modernization, thereby providing momentum for world civilization to develop in a balanced, positive, and benevolent direction. Chinese civilization has a long history, providing rich nourishment for the continuous growth and development of the Chinese nation. In the process of promoting Chinese-path modernization, the Chinese people—in accordance with the new progress, developments, and requirements of the times—have supplemented, expanded, and perfected the connotations of fine traditional Chinese culture, endowing it with new contemporary significance and modern forms of expression. By promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of Chinese civilization and activating its vitality through the spirit of the times, we ensure that Chinese civilization, alongside the diverse civilizations created by people worldwide, provides correct spiritual guidance and powerful spiritual impetus for humanity.

We must jointly advocate for strengthening international people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation. The world is rich and diverse; diversity is the charm of human civilization and the source of vitality and power for world development. Civilizations can only integrate through exchange, and only through integration can they progress. We must promote dialogue between different civilizations and different development models, learning from each other’s strengths through competition and comparison, and seeking common development through mutual learning. Let civilizational exchange and mutual learning become a bridge for enhancing friendship among people of all countries, a driving force for the progress of human society, and a bond for maintaining world peace. We should explore the construction of a global network for civilizational dialogue and cooperation, enrich the content of exchanges, expand cooperation channels, and promote mutual understanding and affinity among peoples. The Communist Party of China has always been an advocate and practitioner of civilizational exchange and mutual learning. Following the establishment of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting, and the CPC and World Political Parties Summit, this latest High-Level Meeting has once again built a high-end political dialogue platform with broad representation and significant international influence. It contributes Chinese wisdom, Chinese-path solutions, and Chinese strength to promoting the inclusive coexistence and mutual learning of different civilizations. This is a vivid manifestation of the CPC’s commitment to "maintaining a global perspective" ^[5], seeking the Great Harmony for the world ^[6] and progress for humanity.