GCI is China’s solution to promote progress of human civilization
Li Junru
In today’s world, where the futures of all countries are closely linked, development, security and civilization play important roles in promoting the modernization process of human society. The Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI) and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, offer profound insights into the issues of our time. The Global Times invites scholars to provide readers both at home and abroad with an in-depth understanding of these three initiatives. This is the third article in the series.
The GDI, GSI and the GCI present China’s approach to global governance from the perspectives of the world economy, security and culture. The GCI outlines China’s solution to advance the world’s modernization process and the progress of human civilization in an increasingly chaotic world. This “China’s solution” has four distinctive features.
Take the new vision of human civilization as core concept
The GCI faces up to the new trends in international relations since the Cold War, and proposes a new vision of civilization in which cultural exchanges transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clashes, and coexistence transcend feelings of superiority.
What happened to the world and how should we respond? Where should humanity be headed and what should international relations and the international order look like in this post-Cold War era? These questions have been hot topics in international relations research for quite some time.
On this basis, the GCI calls for respect for the diversity of world civilizations, and advocates that countries need to uphold the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilization. This vision of civilization represents a new view of civilization in the 21st century. It is the core concept of China’s answer to where humanity should be headed in the post-Cold War era.
Based on common values of humanity
Different from the traditional view of civilization, the GCI not only takes into account historical heritage and practical interests, but also considers the common values of humanity as a solid cornerstone.
Since modern times, various theories of international relations have emerged, but national interests linked to the history of each country have always served as an important basis for handling relations between countries. During the Cold War, although ideological lines dominated the theory of international relations, national interests still played a particularly important role in addressing international relations.
In the new era, President Xi has emphasized that everyone’s interest is closely interlinked as we are all living in the same global village. He also stressed that despite differences among countries in history, culture, institution and level of development, their peoples do subscribe to the common values. The GCI underscores peace, development, equality, justice, democracy and freedom are the common pursuits of people of all countries. President Xi also said that countries need to keep an open mind in appreciating the perceptions of values by different civilizations, and refrain from imposing their own values or models on others and from stoking ideological confrontation.
It can be said that proposing a brand-new concept of common values of humanity is itself a major theoretical innovation. The GCI takes the common values of humanity as an important cornerstone, and it provides China’s answer to where humanity should be headed in the post-Cold War era.
Focus on cultural inheritance and innovation
The GCI, with the new vision of human civilization at its core and the common values of humanity as its cornerstone, represents China’s response to the challenges facing the world. In order to achieve “civilization transcendence,” it emphasizes that countries should be encouraged to push for creative transformation and innovative development of their fine traditional cultures.
It is known that any civilization is formed through the long historical development of countries; and at the same time, any civilization evolves with the progress of the times. Since China entered a new era of reform and opening-up, as well as socialist modernization, the Chinese Communists have united and led the Chinese people in striving for Chinese modernization driven by the ambition of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. The history of the Communist Party of China (CPC) uniting and leading the Chinese people in the pursuit of national rejuvenation for more than 100 years is also a history of continuous exploration of the path to modernization.
After several generations of unremitting efforts, we have embarked on the path of Chinese modernization. It is based on China’s national realities, and draws on the experience of other countries. Whether it is the experience of the Chinese revolution or that of reform and opening-up, both illustrate that no nation can forget its origins, and that historical nihilism is inconsistent with the historical laws of national development. Furthermore, no nation can afford to be complacent or arrogant, as narrow nationalism contradicts the historical laws of national development.
This is true for China and the world. For the majority of developing countries, it is even more important to understand this truth revealed by historical dialectics. Therefore, the GCI emphasizes that we should jointly advocate attaching importance to the inheritance and innovation of civilization, fully tap the historical and cultural values of all countries, and promote the creative transformation and innovative development of excellent traditional cultures of all countries in the process of modernization. The value of the times is to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of the excellent traditional cultures of various countries in the process of modernization. This is also the focus of our efforts to form the new form of human civilization featured by “civilization transcendence.”
Take people-to-people exchanges as approach
The GCI advocates for strengthening international cultural exchanges and cooperation, as well as exploring the construction of a global network for dialogue and cooperation among civilizations.
In today’s world, multiple challenges and crises are intertwined. The world’s economic recovery is difficult, the development gap continues to widen, the ecological environment is further deteriorating and a Cold War mentality lingers. The modernization process of human society is once again at a crossroads in history.
If people from different countries stop communicating with each other and remain mired in misunderstanding, fear and hostility toward each other, the consequences will be catastrophic. Therefore, President Xi expressed the sincerity of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people to the leaders of political parties around the world by introducing the GCI: The CPC will continue to promote inter-civilization exchanges and mutual learning and advance the progress of human civilizations. He added that Chinese modernization, as a new form of human civilization, will significantly enrich the garden of world civilizations through mutual learning with other global civilizations.
For this reason, the GCI proposes that we should jointly strengthen international cultural exchanges and cooperation, explore the construction of a global network of dialogue and cooperation among civilizations, enrich the content of exchanges, expand cooperation channels, promote mutual understanding, and jointly promote the development and progress of human civilization.
In conclusion, the GCI proposed by President Xi, with its core concept, solid foundation, progressive focus, and practical approach, demonstrates the political courage and responsibility of the CPC in addressing the common challenges facing humanity. It also offers China’s solution for promoting the modernization process worldwide and advancing the progress of human civilization.
The writer is former vice president of the CPC Central Committee’s Party School
