Exchanges Between Civilizations in New Perspective

To promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind is to build an open， inclusive， clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace， universal security and common prosperity. This goal transcends the barriers of countries， parties， systems and even civilizations. Standing at the height of the common value of humanity， it is committed to creating a new form of advancing human civilization. Not only is it a Chinese approach to participating in and leading the reform and development of the global governance system， it also stands for the most important international public goods as China copes with the once-in-a-century changes in the new era.

CARRYING FORWARD THE NEW OUTLOOK ON CIVILIZATIONS

The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. While different civilizations in the world are blending in exchanges and mutual learning， confrontations and collisions inevitably occur. How to coordinate diverse civilizations has become the core issue in today’s global governance. In modern times， European and American societies， which took the lead in entering into modern industrial civilization， gradually developed the theory of a clash of civilizations based on Western culture centrality and Western culture superiority against the backdrop of extensive global civilization exchanges. They regard non-Western countries and regions as “others” and “aliens”， and attribute the root cause of social conflicts to differences in civilization. Western countries represented by the United States have always struggled to get out of the “we vs. they” framework of civilizational conflicts in their strategic thinking， stubbornly taking themselves as the coordinates of world development， and even attempting to integrate all other civilizations into the framework of Western civilization. This universalist obsession that ignores the diversity of the world and forcibly promotes the so-called “universal values” has increasingly become the root cause of world conflicts.

Different from the clash of civilizations theory believed by politicians in some European and American countries， Chinese leaders advocate exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations， promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind， and create a new form of advancing human civilization. President Xi Jinping has expounded to the world the idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind on quite a few international occasions， championing equality， mutual learning， dialogue and inclusiveness between civilizations. He calls for exchanges between different civilizations rather than estrangement， mutual learning rather than clashes and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind rather than a sense of superiority and makes clear the historical missions of creating a new form of advancing human civilization. Specifically， the new outlook on civilizations expounded by President Xi Jinping includes the following four aspects.

First， equality among human civilizations is the prerequisite for exchanges and mutual learning. It is only natural that things cannot be all the same. The diversity of human civilizations is the basic feature of human society and also the source of human progress. All civilizations are equal in value. No civilization in the world is superior to others; every civilization is special and unique to its region. Each civilization has its unique charisma and profound heritage， and is thus a cultural treasure of mankind. China believes that differences in civilizations should not become the source of conflicts in the world， but the driving force behind the progress of human civilizations. Therefore， we must uphold an attitude of equality and humility， consciously resist the arrogance and prejudice among civilizations， and jointly paint a beautiful picture of the new form of advancing human civilization .

Second， human civilizations can only maintain vigor and vitality through mutual learning. The Ocean is vast because it refuses no river. Building a community with a shared future for mankind requires the participation of people from all over the world and the joint fostering of diverse civilizations. History tells us that only through exchanges and mutual learning can a civilization be full of vitality. Regarding how to deal with the relationship between different civilizations， China advocates that the diversity of civilizations of all countries and nations should be maintained. We should strengthen mutual exchanges and mutual learning， rather than isolate， reject or even replace each other. Only in this way can the garden of world civilizations be colorful and vibrant. Whether it is enhancing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation or promoting the building of a community with a shared future， it is imperative to strengthen exchanges and dialogues with all civilizations with an open and inclusive mind， and listen to the voice of the world humbly. This is the only way to create a new form of advancing human civilization.

Third， dialogue between civilizations is the foundation for exchanges and mutual learning. Everyone has his strong and weak points. The historical experience of human civilizations shows that only by maintaining a learning spirit and an open attitude can civilizations continue to innovate in face of challenges. Judging from the experience of the development of Chinese civilization itself， whether it is the spread of Buddhism to the East and the combination between Islamic culture and Confucianism in history， the introduction of Western learning to the East or adapting of Marxism to Chinese context in modern times， or the multidimensional exchanges and dialogues with diversified world civilizations since reform and opening up， Chinese civilization has been vigorous and uninterrupted for thousands of years， mostly because of its commitment to mutual learning among civilizations. Only by promoting exchanges and dialogues between different civilizations and different development models， learning from each other’s strengths and weaknesses in competition and comparison， and developing together through exchanges and mutual learning， can the exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations become a bridge to enhance friendship between people of all countries， a driving force for progress of human society， and a bond for maintaining world peace.