Theme Report

Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Asian Civilizations and Establishment of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind

Wang Linggui

Chief Expert, National Institute for Global Strategy, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech titled Deepening exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations for an Asian Community with a Shared Future at the opening ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations at the National Convention Center in Beijing on May 15, 2019. President Xi stressed that the splendid Asian civilizations had written a splendid chapter001. The people of Asia look forward to a peaceful, open Asia of shared prosperity and connectivity. We should respect each other and treat each other as equals. Also, we ought to uphold the beauty of each civilization and the diversity of civilizations in the world. Moreover, we should uphold openness, inclusiveness, and mutual learning, keep pace with time, and pursue innovative development. By doing so, we will consolidate the cultural foundation for building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind.

1 Diversity of civilizations: mutual learning or clash of civilizations?

World civilizations are diverse. The first article of the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, which was then adopted by UNESCO at its 31st session on November 2, 2001, points out that cultural diversity is the common heritage of humanity and culture takes diverse forms across time and space. This diversity is embodied in the uniqueness and plurality of the identities of the groups and societies making up humankind.

Some historians divide the civilizations into different categories to highlight their differences. McNeill, the author of A World History, points out the nine remaining civilizations in human society. This view is shared by Bagby. But some scholars say that there are 10 or 12 categories. In his book The Decline of the West, the German historian Oswald Spengler divides the world’s civilizations into eight categories based on their longevity: Egypt, Babylon, India, China, Greco-Rome, Arabia, the West, and Mexico, as well as the as-yet-incomplete Russian civilization. Arnold Joseph Toynbee, a famous Western historian, classifies the civilizations in world history into 21 categories in his 12-volume A Study of History by distinguishing primitive civilization from derived civilization: (1) the first civilizations that emerged directly from primitive societies: Egypt, Sumer, Minos, Ancient China, the Andes, and the Maya; (2) the kinship civilizations derived from the first generation: Hittite, Babylon, Ancient India, Greece, Iran, Syria, Arabia, China, India, Korea, the West and Byzantium. Besides, there are five arrested civilizations: Polynesia, Eskimo, Nomadism, Sparta, and Osman. In 1986, Ji Xianlin argued in the Scope and characteristics of eastern literature that the cultures in human history could be classified into four systems: the Chinese cultural system, the Indian cultural system, the Persian-Arab-Islamic cultural system, and the European cultural system. According to the famous American scholar Samuel Huntington, founder of “clash of civilizations”, there are eight major civilizations in the world, which are defined in terms of their influence on today’s world, namely, Sinic, Japanese, Hindu, Islamic, Orthodox, Western, Latin American, and Africa, which will have a profound impact on the future world pattern.

It has been debatable whether the diversity of civilizations brings harmony or conflicts to the world. The theories of mutual learning of civilizations and “clash of civilizations” are usually the two most representative statements. Since human beings were civilized, especially the emergence of industrial civilization, human activities have been expanding geographically, and exchanges are deepening. However, there are great differences in how to view each other’s civilization and how to recognize each other’s contribution to the future development of the world. According to the theory of mutual learning among civilizations, inter-civilization exchanges will ensure social progress. Thanks to such communication, countries around the world have conducted various exchange activities that have produced various effects. For example, the languages of some countries contain a lot of foreign words; some countries need to trace their history from well-preserved written records of other countries; some import food and articles from other countries; some imitate the architecture of others; some people are buried in a foreign country. The most famous example is the four great inventions of ancient China and the Arabic numerals, which have left an indelible mark on world development. Through material and cultural exchanges and mutual learning, countries around the world have achieved peaceful development and driven human society forward.

However, others believe that civilizations conflict with one another. Huntington systematically puts forward the “clash of civilizations” in his 1996 book The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. The core views are as follows. First, the root of international conflicts in the future world will be mainly cultural rather than ideological and economical, the clash of civilizations will dominate global politics, and the geopolitical fault line conflicts will become the future inter-civilizational battle line. Second, the clash of civilizations is the greatest threat to future world peace. Third, countries with different cultures are at best alien or highly hostile toward each other while civilizations are more likely to choose competitive coexistence, namely cold war and cold peace. Cultural similarities bring people together and encourage mutual trust and cooperation, thus weakening or eliminating estrangement. Fourth, culture, or Western culture, is unique but not universal. Intercultural or inter-civilizational conflict is mainly the conflict among the eight civilizations. Islamism and Confucianism may jointly threaten or challenge Western civilization. Huntington’s view adopts a global political perspective and Western zero-sum thinking. He argues that civilization is the source of future growth in the interests of all nations, and the competition among countries is also manifested as the competition for interests. Whichever civilization has an advantage will win. Since inter-civilizational competition becomes the final resting place of the competitions for national interests, inter-civilizational conflict is inevitable. His view enjoys much popularity in Western countries, especially the United States. Even today, a few Americans with ulterior motives are still trying to provoke the strategic competition between China and the United States with the “clash of civilizations” theory.

Facts have proved that in the long history of human development, exchanges and mutual learning have brought about development and peace, peace and well-being while inter-civilizational conflict has led to war, casualties, and stagnation of development. Since ancient times, China has been well aware of this fact and hence put forward the concept of harmony without uniformity. In the long history of interacting with other civilizations, harmony has been most fully reflected. In 138 BC and 119 BC, Zhang Qian was sent to the Western Regions twice, opening up the Silk Road and spreading Chinese culture to these areas while as well as introducing grape, alfalfa, pomegranate, flax, sesame, and other cultural achievements from there. In the Western Han Dynasty, China’s merchant fleets sailed as far as India and Sri Lanka, where they traded China’s silk for the colored glaze, pearls, and other products. With the advancement of technology, the Tang Dynasty exchanged envoys with over 70 countries. Chang’an, the capital of Tang, bustled with envoys, merchants, and students from other countries., making it a world-renowned metropolis at that time. In the early 15th century, Zheng He, the famous navigator of China’s Ming Dynasty, made seven expeditions to the Western Oceans, reaching many Southeast Asian countries and even Kenya on the east coast of Africa. Up to now, his traces remain everywhere. At the same time, China was also actively learning modern scientific and technological knowledge. European knowledge of astronomy, medicine, mathematics, geometry, and geography was introduced into China in succession to expand the horizons of the Chinese people. Today, human society has achieved such productive results, at least in part through inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning.

In contrast, inter-civilizational conflict often leads to the destruction of the achievements of various civilizations. Many cultural relics and monuments in the world are not destroyed by natural disasters, but by human-made calamities. At this point, humanity has experienced a period of war almost as long as the period of peace. The “clash of civilizations” theory is merely a reflection of humanity’s memory of war. The stone wall at the entrance to the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France carries the inscription of one single message in several languages: “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be made.” Today, this theory is floating up again. A civilization that tries to view the relations between countries and civilizations with the mentality of war is to scorn or bully others, kind of civilizational oppression in essence.

2 The exchanges and mutual learning among Asian civilizations foster an essential drive for human progress and global peace and development

Civilization is not only the crystallization of human wisdom but also the demonstration of human achievements. Moreover, it serves as the source of future progress. Civilization is not the result of providence but the result created by human beings through their observation of the real world and their practice. I think of literary classics such as The Book of Songs, The Analects of Confucius, The Talmud, One Thousand and One Nights, The Rigveda and Genji Monogatari; inventions such as the cuneiform script, maps, glass, Arabic numerals, paper making and printing techniques; majestic structures such as the Great Wall, the Great Mosque of Mecca, Taj Mahal and Angkor Wat. They are all invaluable assets of human civilization.

Two forces created a civilization, the power of their people, and the power of state-to-state exchanges and mutual learning. As countries expand their interaction, inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning have increasingly influenced all countries and become a vital force for human progress and peaceful development. On March 27, 2014, President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the UNESCO headquarter, telling the world about China’s philosophy of harmony without uniformity and elaborating on the concept that exchanges and mutual learning enrich the civilizations. The crucial speech resonated powerfully around the world.

First, inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning create new material civilization and promote social progress. As President Xi Jinping pointed out, the history of world civilizations has revealed a rule: every civilization must keep pace with and absorb the essence of the times. We should use innovation to activate the development of civilizations and constantly create enduring, eternally charming civilization achievements. “We should adopt the attitude of mutual learning toward all the civilizations humankind has created, actively draw on the merits of others, and ensure the excellent all cultural genes adapt to contemporary culture and modern society. We should also spread the fine and eternally charming cultural spirit with a contemporary value that transcends time and space as well as national boundaries.”

Second, inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning promote openness among countries. The same is true of civilizations. A civilization that adopts a closed-door policy for a long time is bound to decline. Throughout history, China has gained experience and learned painful lessons in this regard. In his voyages to the West, navigator Zheng He left many stories of friendly contacts between China and the countries along the sea routes. The long-term closed-door policy of the Qing Dynasty led to China’s rapid decline and backwardness. According to Mr. Gjergji Sinani, Executive Director of the Albanian Institute for International Studies present at the conference, Voltaire “sought to create a better Europe by criticizing the evils of Europe and comparing its values with those of Chinese civilization. The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are considered a period of crisis of the European mind. European superiority is one of the causes. Therefore, “we need to be broad-minded and strive to remove all barriers to cultural exchanges. We need to be inclusive and always seek nourishment from other civilizations to promote the joint development of Asian civilizations through exchanges and mutual learning.”

Third, inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning foster people-to-people connectivity and harmony among countries. “People are the best bridge for exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. Closer people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning, for that matter, is a crucial way to eliminate estrangement and misunderstanding and enhance mutual understanding among nations.” According to Ralph Kader, CEO of the International Federation for Peace and Sustainable Development (IFPSD), “the right view of cultural diffusion will not trigger disputes arising from mistrust and suspicion; instead, it will enable countries to respect and learn from each other. A group that disrespects, degrades, or excludes others impedes the development of all cultures. In the design of the Belt and Road Initiative, people-to-people connectivity is included as an essential part. In recent years, China has worked with its counterparts to build many platforms and develop diverse ways of cooperation in education, culture, sports and health. In 2018, Chinese citizens made more than 160 million outbound visits, while inbound trips to China totaled more than 140 million. It is a significant force for closer exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and other civilizations.

Asia enjoyed a long period of peace since the end of World War II. At that time, Asian countries saw a double-digit increase in trade and investment, thus becoming the most dynamic growth hubs in the world. At the same time, people of all Asian countries made exchanges in different fields and at different levels, making it possible to remove the war wounds left by the past. A great wealth of data and examples show that the “clash of civilizations” is not one of the external sources of Asia’s progress. Instead, it is the inter-civilization exchanges and cooperation that create a prerequisite for Asia’s economic growth and peaceful development. In his keynote speech at the APEC CEO Summit on November 17th, 2018, President Xi Jinping stressed that “We live on the same planet. It is home to more than 200 countries and regions, 2,500-plus ethnic groups, and over 7 billion people. Trying to erase their differences will not work. Such differences are not a hindrance to exchanges, still less a cause for confrontation. Diversity and interaction between different civilizations, social systems, and paths can provide a strong impetus for human progress.”

3 The exchanges and mutual learning among Asian civilizations represent a critical way to boost the construction of an Asian Community with a Shared Future and a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind humanity

Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind humanity is a major theoretical and practical innovation in major-country diplomacy with distinctive Chinese characteristics for the new era. President Xi Jinping first proposed this concept during his first visit to Russia in late March 2013. “In a world where countries are more interconnected and interdependent than ever before,” he said, “By living in the same global village, where history and reality meet, mankind coexists in the same era and on the same planet, and has increasingly emerged as a community with a shared future in which everyone has in himself a few others.” Afterward, he explained how China would vigorously advocate this notion and make it a reality on various occasions at home and abroad, especially in some critical international speeches. On March 28th, 2015, he underscored the need to build such a community at the Boao Forum for Asia. At the summit marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nation on September 28th, 2015, Xi Jinping gave a speech entitled Working Together to Forge a New Partnership of Win-win Cooperation and Create a Community of Shared Future for Mankind.

Moreover, this is the first time that the Chinese leader put forward and elaborated on the concept and core principles of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind is a leading international organization. He said, “In today’s world, all countries are interdependent and share a common future. We should renew our commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, build a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation, and create a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind.”

The goal of this community is to “build an open, inclusive, clean, and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity.” To achieve this goal, we “must forge partnerships based on equality, consultation and mutual understanding. We should create a security architecture featuring fairness, justice, joint contribution, and shared benefits. Meanwhile, we need to promote open, innovative and inclusive development that benefits all, increase inter-civilization exchanges to enhance harmony, inclusiveness, and respect for differences, and build an eco-system that puts mother nature and green development first.” This vision is China’s answer to “what kind of world we should build” and “how to build it.”

In the remarks above, we can see that inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning are seen as a critical approach to building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind.

First, they are the practice of “harmony without uniformity” and a process of mutual inclusiveness, a prerequisite for all countries to participate in the building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind. The Chinese have long come to appreciate the wisdom of “harmony without uniformity.” Zuo Qiuming, a Chinese historian who lived 2,500 years ago, recorded in the Chronicle of Zuo the following comments by Yan Ying, Prime Minister of the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period: “Harmony is like cooking a thick soup. The water, fire, vinegar, meat sauce, salt, and plum are all needed to go with fish or meat.” “It is the same when it comes to music. Only by combining the texture, length, pace, mood, tone, pitch and style rightly and executing them properly can one produce an excellent melody.” “Who would enjoy a soup with nothing but water in it? Whose ear can tolerate the same tone repeatedly played on one instrument?” The proposal to build such a community first emphasizes the recognition of different civilizations, which is the precondition for exchanges, mutual learning, and harmony. Each country has different resource endowments and different historical and cultural conditions. Only by acknowledging these differences can we respect them from the bottom of our heart, without feeling superior to other civilizations. Only in this way will we respect all civilizations and treat them as equals, refrain from forcing other countries to pursue the same development model, and respect each other’s differences while promoting joint development. In other words, accepting different modes of development is essentially the acknowledgment of different civilizations. According to Dr. Md Harun Ur Rashid Askari, Vice President of the Kushtia Islamic University of Bangladesh, “Deliberate western distortion of the East poses a massive threat to the correct understanding of Asian civilizations. This phenomenon frequently appears in the long process of colonization. However, as decolonization began in the post-colonial period, dissenting voices emerged in the East in support of hitherto distorted civilizations.” In his Orientalism published in 1978, Edward W. Said described European or Western descriptions and interpretations of projects as an exaggeration of differences, an arrogant sense of Western superiority, and a cliche analytical model to perceive the Eastern world. Therefore, inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning represent the best way to remove the misunderstanding and misinterpretation of other civilizations. By recognizing different civilizations, we recognize their value to the development of human society so that it will be easier for us to accept the vision of building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind.

Second, inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning are a recognition of the strengths of different civilizations and a process in which different civilizations learn from each other and create together. They contribute to fostering the spirit of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind. On October 20th, 2005, the General Assembly of UNESCO adopted The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions at its 33rd Session. The Convention pointed out that cultural diversity creates a colorful world that encourages dialogue, mutual respect, and peaceful coexistence among different cultures. President Xi Jinping noted in his keynote speech that “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 unique. Civilizations only vary from each other, just as human beings are different only in terms of skin color and the language used. No civilization is superior over others.” In other words, only by acknowledging that different civilizations have their strengths can we create opportunities for learning and exchanges while taking civilizations to a higher level. For example, because Arabic numerals are easy to write and easy for storage and circulation, they have more advantages than other numerals to become a universal language. Therefore, China vigorously advocates that “respecting the diversity of world cultures and overcoming cultural misunderstanding, clash of civilizations and the feeling of superiority through exchanges, mutual learning, and coexistence. “We should respect all civilizations, treat each other as equals, and draw on each other’s strengths, which will advance the creative development of civilizations.” “What China emphasizes is not only ‘aid’ but also ‘cooperation’,” said Dr. Hiria Ottino, President of the Tonga Pacific Affairs Council. What China does has offered an opportunity to Pacific islanders to engage in dialogue so that they will realize the need to preserve Pacific culture, gain experience in this regard, and develop an international perspective of the Pacific. China’s approach to engaging in regional affairs is in stark contrast to that of traditional powers who see China as a serious challenge because they believe the Pacific region is “theirs”. This should not stop Pacific island countries from shaping their future. Nor should it prevent the West from politicizing the sources of foreign aid or hinder Pacific island countries from participating in the plans proposed by China. Our acceptance of such aid should not become a zero-sum political game on a global scale. The Pacific island peoples should not be seen as naively influenced by Chinese politics, for Chinese models and proposals show real promise of making concrete contributions to our own development goals.” When attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Qingdao on June 10th, 2018, President Xi Jinping pointed out, “While we keep hearing such rhetoric as the clash of civilizations or the superiority of one civilization over another, it is the diversity of civilizations that sustains human progress. Indeed, mutual learning between different cultures is a shared aspiration of all peoples.”

Third, inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning will facilitate the building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind and lay a cultural foundation for it. When speaking at the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations on May 15th, 2019, President Xi Jinping stressed the need to “consolidate the cultural foundation for building an Asian Community with a Shared Future and a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind.” “The diverse ethnic groups, languages, and beliefs in Asia can coexist peacefully and even enrich each other through cross-cultural communication and integration,” said Dr. Peter T. C. Chang, Deputy Director of the Institute of China Studies at the University of Malaya. Indeed, conflicts exist in such diversity. The history of Asia is shaped by ethnic and religious tensions. That is why the harmonious co-existence of multiple civilizations in Asia cannot be taken for granted. Preserving it requires the joint efforts of all countries. “According to Sadat Mansoor Naderi, Chairman of the Sadat Mansoor Naderi Foundation in Afghanistan,” The concept of a Community with a Shared Future requires us to think differently and promote regional and global peace and development innovatively. “Victor Hugo once said,” There is a prospect greater than the sea, and it is the sky; there is a prospect greater than the sky, and it is the human soul. “We need a mind that is broader than the sky as we approach different civilizations. Civilizations are like water, moistening everything silently. We should encourage different civilizations to respect each other and live in harmony, so that exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations will become a bridge promoting friendship between people around the world, an engine driving the progress of human society, and a bond cementing world peace. We should draw wisdom and nourishment and seek spiritual support and psychological consolation from various civilizations, and work together to tackle the challenges facing humankind.”

China today is more than the country itself; it is very much a part of Asia and the world. In the time to come, China will open its arms wider to embrace the world and contribute to the dynamic achievements of Chinese civilization to a better world. As foreign leaders said, ancient Chinese civilization has left a precious legacy to the world. President Xi’s vision of building an Asian Community with a Shared Future and a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind is another significant contribution that China has made to world peace and human progress. On February 10th, 2017, the 55th Session of the UN Commission for Social Development (CSocD) adopted the resolution of the social dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) unanimously. Meanwhile, the vision of building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind was included in the UN resolution for the first time. On March 17, the UN Security Council adopted without opposition the Resolution 2344 on the situation in Afghanistan, stressing the importance of promoting regional cooperation and building such a community in the spirit of win-win cooperation. The successful organization of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations has opened a new chapter of exchanges and mutual learning among Asian civilizations and the building of an Asian Community with a Shared Future. It follows the trend of promoting peace, friendship, and cooperation and fulfilling the shared dream of the Asian people.

Translated by Mo Hao