Beijing, 3 Mar (ZXS) -- Ji Deqiang: The concept of a community with a shared future for mankind is a transcendence of the Western-centric concept of civilization
China News Agency reporter Liang Xiaohui
Today's world is undergoing major changes unprecedented in a century, are civilizations tolerant and mutually learned, make common progress and reflect each other, or are they fighting separately, conflicts and confrontations, and zero-sum games? Become a realistic must-answer question.
Ten years ago, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind to the world, opening up a new ideological path for answering this question. In the following 10 years, Xi Jinping gave China's answer more times: civilizational exchanges transcend civilizational barriers, civilizational mutual learning transcends civilizational conflicts, and civilization tolerance transcends civilizational superiority.
Professor Ji Deqiang, deputy dean of the Institute of Community of Human Future and researcher of the State Key Laboratory of Media Integration and Communication of Communication University of China, said in an exclusive interview with China News Agency that exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations is the proper meaning of building a community with a shared future for mankind, which conveys the position of equal, open and inclusive Chinese civilization, transcends the Western-centric view of civilization, respects the history of diverse civilizations of mankind, and allows the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind to take root better in the world.
Data map: On the evening of September 2022, 9, the National Day themed flower beds along Chang'an Avenue in Beijing were lit up, and citizens visited the "Community of Destiny" flower beds arranged in the square in front of the Military Museum. Photo by China News Agency reporter Yi Haifei
Exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations are very different from the competitive logic of the West
"To move towards a community with a shared future, we must adhere to the inclusiveness and mutual learning of different civilizations." Xi Jinping has stressed so.
Ji Deqiang believes that exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations is the proper meaning of building a community with a shared future for mankind, with both an oriental perspective and a world mind. It derives from the long history of Chinese civilization and exchanges and mutual learning, and represents an inclusive ritual order, which is very different from the competitive logic of modern nation-states originating in Western Europe.
Since ancient times, Chinese culture has believed that the world should be a harmonious whole: the cosmology of the unity of heaven and man contains the survival concept of Chinese civilization; The international outlook of Concord and Wanbang is the consistent way of Chinese civilization; A harmonious and different view of society is a code of conduct that Chinese follow.
However, after modern times, some Western countries have built a Western-centric view of civilization by virtue of their advantages in science and technology, military and other aspects, and divided the countries of the world into "center-periphery", and believe that there is only a relationship of assimilation and assimilation between different civilizations, and non-Western civilizations can only take a linear evolutionary path towards Western civilization.
"In this sense, the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind emphasizes exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, not replacing one system with another, not replacing one civilization with another, but also inheriting the worldview and methodology of China's excellent traditional culture, especially the Chinese civilization behind it, and transcending the assimilation concept and zero-sum logic of Western-centrism since modern times." Ji Deqiang said.
The Global Civilization Initiative is a further clarification of the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi Jinping further proposed the global civilization initiative at the high-level dialogue between the Communist Party of China and world political parties held on March 3 this year, emphasizing the need to jointly advocate respecting the diversity of world civilizations, promoting the common values of all mankind, attaching importance to the inheritance and innovation of civilization, and strengthening international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
Ji Deqiang believes that the proposal of the Global Civilization Initiative is a further clarification of the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind under the current international situation, and a new impetus for the historical process of building a community with a shared future for mankind.
He pointed out that the proposal of the Global Civilization Initiative is profoundly realistic, and responds to at least two urgent "world questions": First, how can countries coexist peacefully and develop together in the post-epidemic era. From the perspective of the pluralistic coexistence of civilizations, the proposal negates the "hegemony of civilizations" in which a single civilization is above the world, and provides ideological resources for the process of globalization to return to the normal track.
The second is how to resolve contemporary crises represented by regional conflicts. The proposal clarifies that the concept of civilization with real world significance is not to intensify contradictions, trigger or even create civilizational conflicts, but to promote mutual understanding and pluralistic coexistence while resolving contradictions, so as to maximize economic, social and security interests.
"In fact, the way to form a community with a shared future for mankind is precisely the coexistence of civilizations and diversity, and in this harmonious and different pattern, we will explore the most universal common values of all mankind - peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom." Ji Deqiang said that under the erroneous trend of thought such as the Western "clash of civilizations theory" and the Cold War mentality, the Global Civilization Initiative provides a Chinese solution to clear up the myth of civilization.
Data map: On September 2021, 9, Beijing, the World 1G Conference exhibition was opened to the public. Photo by China News Agency reporter Yi Haifei
The "concept cluster" of a community with a shared future for mankind is taking shape around the world
In the 10 years since the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind was proposed, the century-old changes have been superimposed on the epidemic of the century, and the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change. In this context, the historical vision and epochal value of this concept are more prominent.
Ji Deqiang believes that adhering to the attitude of civilizational exchanges and mutual learning, coupled with the spiritual core of the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, has universal significance, and this concept has fewer obstacles to acceptance and cognition in the complex international community, and can form a broad consensus after landing in specific fields such as development, cooperation and security. At present, the "concept group" of the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind is taking shape in the world.
At the global level, a community with a shared future in cyberspace, a community of human health, a community of global development, and a community of human security has emerged. At the regional level, regional communities with a shared future, such as neighboring countries, Asia, China-ASEAN, Asia-Pacific, and China-Africa Community of Shared Destiny, are accelerating. At the bilateral level, the practice of China and many countries to promote the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind is unfolding...
Ji Deqiang believes that the formation of the "concept group" is an outstanding achievement in the past 10 years since the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind was proposed. It fits the current crisis situation facing globalization, and has gained world recognition with its solution ideas and development vision derived from Chinese civilization, becoming a real international public good, and embedded in the narrative of the development of human civilization.
Kleshi, President of the 10th session of the United Nations General Assembly, said that in the face of major global crises, mankind should build a closer "community of common destiny". In the past <> years, the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind has been written into United Nations documents many times.
"It can be seen that how to rebuild the 'global village' in a crisis, the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind provides a high-quality solution." Ji Deqiang said. (End)