Opinion | China’s pride in its own civilisation and respect for others is rooted in a belief in equality
- President Xi Jinping’s proposal of a Global Civilisation Initiative, which calls for respect for diversity and improved people-to-people exchanges, comes at a time when societies are being driven apart by egocentric world views
With the common good in mind, President Xi Jinping last month proposed the Global Civilisation Initiative, advocating respect for the diversity of civilisations, adherence to the values common to all humanity, support for the innovative development of civilisations, and more people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
Behind these four tenets lies China’s belief in the equality of all human civilisations. As a responsible major country, it supports the right of every civilisation to develop.
Our world has more than 200 countries and regions and many thousands of ethnic groups and religions. Diversity enriches human civilisation, but an egocentric view that belittles other civilisations will push human society to the brink of conflict and confrontation.
In a speech at the College of Europe in Belgium in 2014, President Xi described the equality of civilisations in this way: “The Chinese people are fond of tea and the Belgians love beer. To me, the moderate tea drinker and the passionate beer lover represent two ways of understanding life and knowing the world, and I find them equally rewarding.”
When good friends meet, he said, they may drink some tea together, or have some beer.
