Exchanges Between Civilizations in New Perspective

Zhao Kejin

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 todays 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 others 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.

Fourth， inclusiveness is the driving force for exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. The ocean is inclusive by taking in all the rivers flowing its way. Differences among civilizations should not be the root cause of world conflicts， but rather the driving force behind progress of human civilizational. To promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind， it is necessary to respect the diversity of civilizations， and promote exchanges and dialogues， peaceful coexistence， and harmonious coexistence among different civilizations. Human history tells us that the attempt to establish a single civilization to rule the world is just an unrealistic fantasy. All countries in the world need to adhere to the idea of ?harmony in diversity， and actively promote the harmonious coexistence of different civilizations.

A NEW THREE-IN-ONE FORM OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION

As an ancient civilization with thousands of years of history， Chinas realization of the great renewal of the Chinese nation is different from the rise of any other powers. It means the rise of a brave new form of civilization. Based on inheriting and carrying forward the fine traditional Chinese culture， it encourages exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations， creating a new form of human civilization different from Western civilization. To this end， China advocates a new outlook on civilizations featuring equality， mutual learning， dialogue， and inclusiveness， and has created a new path of Chinese-style modernization and a new form of human civilization covering civilization in material， political， cultural and ethical， social and ecological aspects， and has been committed to building a community of Chinese nation， a community with a shared future for mankind and a community of life for man and nature.

China has championed openness and inclusiveness for the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. To create a new model for advancing human civilization， it is necessary to establish a sense of community with a shared future for mankind， promote a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect， fairness， justice， and win-win cooperation. It is necessary to make Chinese civilization more open and inclusive to diverse civilizations worldwide， and allow the community of Chinese nation displays its ever-brighter prospects to the whole world. Adhering to openness and inclusiveness is one of the important pillars for building a community with a shared future for mankind. There is no one-size-fits-all development model in the world， and there is no social system that provides panacea for all problems. Only by promoting mutual tolerance， mutual learning， integration and connectivity with an open and inclusive mindset can one embark on a sunshine avenue where different civilizations develop towards a human community with a shared future on the basis of bringing forth the new through the old.

China has promoted harmonious coexistence for building a community of life between man and nature. A civilization may thrive if its natural surroundings thrive， and will suffer if its natural surroundings suffer. Whether it is to build a community of Chinese nation or a community with a shared future for mankind， it is imperative to well grasp the relationship between man and nature. On April 22， 2021， when President Xi Jinping attended the Leaders Summit on Climate via video link， he emphasized that to build a community of life between man and nature， we must be committed to harmony between man and nature， green development， systemic governance， to a people-centered approach， to multilateralism and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. Facing the challenge of global climate change， we need to ensure the harmony between man and nature， advance the building of a community of life between man and nature. We should protect nature and preserve the environment like we protect our eyes， and endeavor to foster a new relationship where man and nature can both prosper and live in harmony. Only in this way can we lay a solid foundation for the sustainable development of a community with a shared future for mankind and the continuous improvement of the new model of human advancement.

PROMOTING HIGH-QUALITY DEVELOPMENT OF PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE EXCHANGES

To promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind from the perspective of exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations is not about reinventing the wheel， but rather making innovations and improvements on the existing basis， and continuously deepening all-round， multi-level and multi-dimensional exchanges between China and the world. Different from the hard selling of the so-called universal values by the Western countries， China is committed to exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations and vigorously promotes people-to-people exchanges， which have now become an important pillar for the building of a community with a shared future.

First， promote high-quality development in cooperation and exchanges in education and tourism. International educational exchanges are the backbone of cultural exchanges between China and other countries. It is a soft and sound cross-cultural exchange channel that fundamentally determines the quality and level of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. Since the founding of the Peoples Republic of China， the Chinese government has always attached great importance to the promotion of international educational exchanges， which is characterized by a large volume and a wide range of areas. By the end of 2021， the number of Chinese students studying abroad reached 1.6 million， the number of international students studying in China exceeded 440，000， from 205 countries and regions in total. China has become the largest destination for overseas studying in Asia. The new outlook on civilization puts forward higher requirements for promoting international educational exchanges， emphasizing the adherence to a path of connotative high-quality development. To gain advantages in improving global education governance， greater efforts are needed to participate in research， formulation and revision of international rules and standards in the field of education， and greater support should be rendered to the university graduates for more internships in international organizations so that more high-caliber internationalized talents are cultivated for the participation of global governance.

International cooperation in culture and tourism is the foundation of people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and other countries， and the main channel to enhance the international influence and competitiveness of Chinese civilization. As of March 2021， China has already set up 63 tourism offices and cultural centers in 50 countries around the world， and has launched a series of flagship overseas cultural and tourism exchange activities. These activities have become important platforms to promote Chinese culture and boost international tourism.

Second， promote high-quality development in technological exchanges and cooperation. Scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation are of strategic importance in people-to-people exchanges as they have important bearings on the core competitiveness of Chinese culture and play a guiding role in promoting international cooperation in education and tourism. By the end of 2018， China had established scientific and technological cooperation relations with 160 countries， signed 114 intergovernmental cooperation agreements， 346 talent exchange agreements， and participated in more than 200 international organizations and multilateral mechanisms. At the same time， China has been actively participating in the cooperation of various international organizations， making full use of the multilateral platforms to actively participate in global innovation governance， and has participated in major international scientific programs and major scientific projects such as the International Thermonuclear Fusion Experimental Reactor， providing the Chinese solutions to the problems faced by all humanity. In addition， China has established more than 700 international cooperation bases， deepening cooperation with innovative powers and key small countries， and thus forming a high-level open innovation pattern.

Third， promote high-quality development in exchanges and cooperation in health. International health exchanges and cooperation represent a new growth point for people-to-people exchanges between China and the world. In particular， the COVID-19 pandemic has objectively accelerated international exchanges and cooperation in the field of health and healthcare， and also served to be the main channel for building a global community of health. In recent years， China has actively participated in cooperation within the international and regional frameworks such as the World Health Organization， strengthened cooperation with international organizations， supported West Africas fight against the Ebola epidemic， and signed and implemented more than 160 health-related cooperation agreements with international organizations， relevant countries and regions. Especially since the pandemic broke out， President Xi Jinping has put forward the initiative to build a global community of health for all， promote the effectiveness of international joint pandemic prevention and control mechanism， help developing countries with weak public health systems to improve their response capabilities， and gradually form a diversified， orderly and multi-dimensional pattern for international cooperation in health， which has won wide acclaim from the international community.

CONCLUSION

In the face of the new situation where diverse civilizations and ideas are colliding against the backdrop of once-in-a-century changes， each civilization is responding and adapting to the major changes in its own way. Different cultures are drawing from each other in competition and comparison and enjoying common development through mutual learning. The exchanges， fusion and contest between different ideas and thoughts themselves also constitute an important dimension of the profound changes. President Xi Jinping proposed a new outlook on civilization to promote exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations， which has become an important path to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. Looking ahead to the future， as China embarks on a new journey of building a strong modern socialist country， it will surely take root in the fertile soil of Chinese civilization， commit to promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations， and promote the building of a community of Chinese nation， a community of shared future for mankind， and a community of life between man and nature. In practice， we will continue to enrich the new form of advancing human civilization， promote cultural exchanges between China and other countries and take the road of connotative high-quality development， and strive to build a better world.