(Xinhua) IN the face of rising global tensions and growing challenges, the recently concluded Global Civilisations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting emphasised the urgent need for more dialogue and mutual learning among civilisations, calling for inclusiveness, equality and co-operation to promote peace and shared development.

History has shown the world that the progress of humanity cannot be achieved without exchanges and mutual learning among civilisations.
As the world faces complex and changing international situations, humanity now stands at a new crossroads, with an urgent need to use dialogue between civilisations to overcome barriers and mutual learning to prevent conflicts.

Exchanges and mutual learning among civilisations serve as bonds of peace. While humans may differ in skin colour and language, and civilisations may vary in style and form, no civilisation is superior to another. History has repeatedly proven that emphasising differences between civilisations or trying to impose values by force only leads to misunderstanding, conflict and damage to world peace. As long as the spirit of inclusiveness is upheld, there will be no “clash of civilisations,” and harmony among civilisations can be achieved.

At present, the world faces growing deficits in peace and security, as Cold-War thinking and hegemonism are on the rise and regional conflicts keep emerging. The international community must firmly reject the ideas of “civilisational divide,” “clash of civilisations,” and “civilisational superiority.” Only by embracing equality and mutual respect, and by promoting dialogue among civilisations, can the world eliminate prejudice, build mutual trust and ensure collective security.

Today’s world is full of both opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, humanity has made remarkable progress in areas such as the economy, science and culture. On the other hand, problems such as slow global recovery and climate change continue to affect everyone. To meet these challenges, the world needs not only economic and technological strength, but also the power of culture and civilisation.

Equal exchanges and mutual learning among different civilisations can offer spiritual guidance to solve global problems and promote common development. Dialogue between civilisations helps bring people together, gather wisdom and strength from different cultures, improve our understanding of the world and enhance our ability to respond to challenges.

China has always been an active promoter of such exchanges. It advocates a vision of equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilisations, and provides more options to help solve challenges in civilisational development. From proposing the Global Civilisation Initiative to pushing for the UN resolution to establish the International Day for Dialogue among Civilisations, China’s ideas and contributions are helping to advance global dialogue and human progress.
China also practises what it advocates. It has hosted events such as the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilisations and the Communist Party of China in Dialogue with World Political Parties

High-level Meeting to create platforms for exchange. It has expanded visa-free access to promote cultural experiences and people-to-people ties, and organised programmes such as tourism years, cultural festivals, and youth arts festivals.

It is hoped that the international community will take this ministerial meeting as an opportunity to continue promoting dialogue across different levels and fields, enrich the content of exchanges, broaden co-operation channels, explore building a global network for dialogue among civilisations, and spark new momentum for civilisational progress, so as to jointly contribute to a new chapter in human civilisation.