President Xi Jinping (Photo: AFP/Xinhua/Li Xueren)
25/06/2025 23:02
Diversity spurs interaction among civilizations, which in turn promotes mutual learning and their further development. On March 15, 2023, during the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting, General Secretary Xi Jinping solemnly proposed the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI). Following the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, this marked another significant international public product presented by China. It provides a scientific response to major questions such as “How should different civilizations coexist?” and “Where is human civilization heading?” It sends out a sincere call to the world to enhance dialogue among civilizations and promote human progress through inclusiveness and mutual learning, injecting new momentum into building a community with a shared future for mankind.
The GCI focuses on four key components: (1) respect for the diversity of civilizations, (2) common values of humanity, (3) inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and (4) international people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation. Rich in content and systematic in structure, this initiative is marked by scientific insight, contemporary relevance, and practical value.
Promoting mutual respect among civilizations based on respect for the diversity of civilizations. The civilization of a country or nation is part of its collective memory. All civilizations are rooted in their unique cultural environment. Each embodies the wisdom and vision of a country or nation, and each is valuable for being uniquely its own. The GCI advocates respect for the diversity of global civilizations, encouraging all countries and nations to carry forward and develop their own cultures, choose development paths suited to their national conditions, and foster dialogue, exchange, and harmonious coexistence among civilizations.
Promoting mutual understanding and connection among civilizations guided by the common values of humanity. While civilizations may vary in their interpretations of values, people across the world share a common desire for a better life and a collective pursuit of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom. Centered on the well-being of humankind, the GCI advocates the common values of humanity—peace and development are our common endeavor, fairness and justice are common ideals, and democracy and freedom are common aspirations.
Promoting the coexistence and mutual progress of civilizations through inheritance and innovation. Civilizations carry the legacy of the past and act as a bridge to the future. Passing on the cultural heritage of their ancestors is vital for any nation to stand proudly in the world today. The GCI advocates attaching importance to the inheritance and innovation of civilizations. Countries need to fully harness the relevance of their histories and cultures to the present times, and push for creative transformation and innovative development of their fine traditional cultures.
Promoting mutual learning among civilizations by strengthening cultural and people-to-people exchange and cooperation. Cooperation and integration among civilizations are key drivers of human progress. A civilization can only stay vibrant and dynamic through interaction and mutual learning with others while drawing on each other’s strengths. The GCI advocates deepening people-to-people and cultural exchanges, eliminating misunderstandings and estrangement, and enhancing people-to-people ties, so as to jointly advance the progress of human civilizations.
The GCI fully respects the diversity of civilizations and seeks the greatest common ground among them, striving to achieve a dialectical unity between cultural diversity and shared values. It values cultural heritage, emphasizing the historical and cultural traditions of different nations, but also learns from the past to predict the future, stressing the importance of exploring the contemporary relevance of each country’s civilization. It not only proposes action plans for building a global network for inter-civilizational dialogue and cooperation but also outlines practical paths for building a community with a shared future for mankind. Demonstrating a broad international vision and cultural inclusiveness, the GCI conveys profound insights on promoting the common values of humanity and creating a better world, while also exhibiting a powerful momentum in guiding actions.
Promoting civilizational progress by building international consensus. Since its launch, the GCI has received enthusiastic responses from the international community. It is believed that the Initiative has offered Chinese wisdom to tackle the most acute and pressing challenges facing the world today, and brought hope for reducing conflicts and confrontation as well as promoting global peace and stability. Many countries, particularly those in the Global South, have expressed their willingness to deepen cultural exchanges and cooperation with China and jointly implement the GCI. As an important consensus, the GCI has already been included in joint statements, press releases, or declarations between China and many countries, including Russia, Serbia, Hungary, Zambia and the Maldives, as well as regions such as Central Asia, the Arab League, and the Lancang-Mekong region, gaining extensive recognition and support from the international community. In 2024, the resolution proposed by China to establish the “International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations” was adopted unanimously at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, fully demonstrating that the GCI is in line with the trends and demands of the times, and that Chinese ideas and solutions are increasingly becoming international consensus.
Promoting people-to-people connectivity by deepening people-to-people and cultural exchanges. Under the guidance of the GCI, cultural exchanges between China and other countries have flourished with renewed vitality. From global celebrations of the “Chinese New Year” to cultural heritage preservation and cooperation projects among countries along the Belt and Road, from international cultural and art exhibitions held in China to Chinese films, music, and literary works reaching global audiences—these colorful cultural exchange activities have enhanced mutual understanding and friendship among peoples and allowed the charm of different civilizations to shine through dialogue and interaction. For example, in 2024, taking the occasion of the ASEAN-China Year of People-to-People Exchanges, the China-Russia Years of Culture, and the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism China hosted a wide range of cultural activities, injecting fresh momentum into fostering mutual understanding and affinity among peoples. Additionally, China has continued to expand its list of visa-free countries and has comprehensively eased the visa-free transit policies, facilitating international travelers to visit China and making “China Travel” a global trend.
Promoting inclusiveness and mutual learning by improving mechanisms and platforms. Two years on since the proposal of the GCI, the platforms for civilizational exchange and dialogue built by China are becoming international public products that contribute to the advancement of human civilizations. Events such as the “Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations,” the “World Conference of Classics,” the “Understanding China” Conference, and the “Liangzhu Forum” have been successfully held. Institutions such as the Center of Chinese and Greek Ancient Civilizations, the China-Hungary Joint Research Center for Exchanges and Mutual Learning between Civilizations, and the Chinese School of Classical Studies at Athens have been established. The GCI is evolving from a Chinese proposal to global actions, and a multidimensional network for mutual learning among civilizations is taking shape, providing an important platform for people-to-people and cultural exchanges among countries and forging a broader consensus for openness and inclusiveness among civilizations. China actively shares experience in state governance with other countries, and supports their peoples in independently choosing their own development paths with concrete actions. China has collaborated with Africa to carry out the 10 Partnership Action Plans to Advance Modernization and set up a platform for sharing governance experience between the two sides. It also took the lead in establishing the Global South Think Tanks Alliance to promote mutual learning on governance.