By Stephen Asante
Accra, March 31, GNA – China’s President, Xi Jinping, has proposed a new global initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, which espouses the principles that different civilisations can tolerate each other, coexist and learn from each other.
It fundamentally answers a series of questions of the times, such as “What kind of modernisation do we need?” and “How can we achieve modernisation?”
The Initiative puts forward four initiatives – respect for the diversity of civilisations, advocating the common values of humanity, highly valuing the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and jointly advocating robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
Mr Lu Kun, the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, in a document copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Accra, spelling out the concept of the Initiative, said: “Countries need to uphold the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilisations.”
They should let cultural exchanges transcend estrangement since mutual learning transcend clashes, and coexistence transcend feelings of superiority.
The document indicated that President Xi, who is also the General-Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, proposed the Initiative at the ‘CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting on March 15.
“It has shown strong vitality since its inception, arousing enthusiastic responses in the international community.
“I would like to introduce the Global Civilization Initiative to Ghanaian friends and help China and Ghana strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation,” the Chinese Ambassador noted.
The document said at present, the changes in the world, the changes of the times, and the changes in history were unfolding unprecedentedly.
“We have more reasons to expect that the Global Civilisation Initiative, together with the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, will constantly inject stability and bring new hope to this world of turbulence and transformation.”
Ambassador Kun indicated that the Initiative had become another important public good provided to the world and will inject fresh and strong energy into the common development and progress of human society in a world fraught with multiple challenges and crises.
“China is not only a “thinker” but also a “doer” in promoting building a human community with a shared future and practice the Global Civilisation Initiative.”
According to him, in Africa, more than 60 Confucius Institutes had been established in 46 countries.
In Ghana, the Confucius Institutes at the University of Ghana and the University of Cape Coast, continued to flourish, and a Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition would be held shortly to better raise Sino-Ghanaian friendship, he stated.
“More than 6,000 Ghanaian students are studying in China assiduously, ranking second in Africa,” Ambassador Kun disclosed.
He stressed the need for robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.
“Countries need to explore the building of a global network for inter-civilisation dialogue and cooperation, enrich the contents of exchanges and expand avenues of cooperation to promote mutual understanding and friendship among people of all countries and jointly advance the progress of human civilisations.”
The Ambassador advocated respect for the common values of humanity, peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom, saying these were the common aspirations of all peoples.
“Countries need to keep an open mind in appreciating the perceptions of values by different civilizations, refrain from imposing one’s values or models on others and stoking ideological confrontation.
“They ought to stop pushing a zero-sum agenda to bully and exploit the weak and vulnerable, and playing bloc politics and using democracy as a tool for political ends.”
Ambassador Kun stated that it was important to uphold the importance of inheritance and innovation of civilisations.
Countries, he said, needed 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 traditions and cultures.
“We have more reasons to expect that the Global Civilisation Initiative, together with the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, will constantly inject stability and bring new hope to this world of turbulence and transformation.
“A single flower does not make spring, while one hundred flowers in full blossom bring spring to the garden. Together, we can make the garden of world civilizations full of colours and life.” Ambassador Kun noted.
GNA