On June 26, Ambassador Yang Xiaokun published a signed article titled “Advancing Dialogue Among Civilizations to Forge a Better World” on the Post. Here's the full text.

On June 7, 2024, the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly adopted a China-proposed resolution by consensus, declaring June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. This year, China, together with the UN, other international organizations and countries around the world celebrated the first International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations of the UN.

This commemorative day, jointly initiated by China and over 80 countries, carries the common expectations of the international community for peace, development and friendship. Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi sent a video message to the event, emphasizing that “the establishment of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations by the UN responds to the shared aspirations of people worldwide to advance dialogue among civilizations and promote human progress, earning the unanimous support of all member states.” 

This day is also a successful practice of China’s implementation of the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) put forward by president Xi Jinping in 2023. GCI can be summarized with four common advocacies: to respect the diversity of civilizations, to uphold the common values of humanity, to attach importance to inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and to strengthen international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. It attests to China’s efforts to facilitate dialogue among civilizations. Over the past two years since GCI was put forward, it has received broad support from many countries and injected strong momentum into the modernization of human society and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

At present, the international landscape is undergoing profound changes, marked by intertwined crises and risks, along with increasing deficit in peace, development, security and governance. Under such a circumstance, the success of the first International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations of the UN marks a new starting point for different civilizations in the world to jointly meet challenges and embrace a better future.

Standing at the new starting point of history, Minister Wang further highlighted three aspects in advancing dialogue among civilizations: upholding equality among civilizations, promoting exchanges among civilizations, and advancing the progress of civilizations, drawing a new blue print for China and other countries around the globe to embark on a new journey of enhancing dialogue among civilizations from the historic crossroad.

A single flower does not make spring, while one hundred flowers in full blossom bring spring to the garden. In today’s world, there are more than 200 countries and regions and over 2,500 nations. Human endeavors in production and life have nurtured many splendid civilizations that complement and inspire each other. They have made our global village diverse, colorful and vibrant, and our entire human society an indivisible community with a shared future.

It is one of China’s civilizational values that has transcended thousands of years to embrace inclusiveness and harmony in diversity, in other words, “harmony without uniformity”. China firmly believes that civilizations only vary from each other and no civilization is superior over others. As an ancient Chinese philosopher observed “All living things may grow side by side without harming one another, and different roads may run in parallel without interfering with one another.”

Upholding such a philosophy, China has long been dedicated to promoting openness fostering mutual understanding through civilizational exchanges. The Chinese and African people share a deep consensus on this. The amicable ties between the two cultures and two peoples serve as the bedrock for the growth of China-Africa relations, fueling the vitality of this enduring friendship across generations. At the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation(FOCAC), President Xi announced that China and Africa agreed to designate 2026 as the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges. At the Ministerial Meeting of Coordinators on the Implementation of the Follow-up Actions of FOCAC held earlier this month in Changsha,The Concept Paper of 2026 China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges was released, envisioning a series of people-to-people exchange activities that will be held by China and Africa together in the coming year, bringing about a foreseeable climax of civilizational dialogues.

China and Lesotho, as both countries with unique cultures and strong national identities have made joint efforts. Over the past three decades, we have engaged in extensive dialogue and cooperation across multiple fields based on mutual respect, equality and mutual benefits, setting an example for South-South cooperation and cross-civilization exchange. The Confucius Classroom and Confucius Institute brought enlightenment of Chinese culture to the youth of Lesotho. Basotho overseas students to China, with His Royal Highness Prince Seeiso as a prestigious representative, spread the beauty of the mountain Kingdom in classrooms and campuses in China. The Spring Festival gala attended by both the Chinese community and local Basotho, the Chinese Language Day celebrated by over 500 teachers and students,all captured the moment of resonance between our civilizations, drawing the hearts of our two peoples even closer.

Looking ahead, we are full of confidence for the development of relations between China and Lesotho. China stands ready to fully leverage the China-Africa Year of People-to-People Exchanges to implement the spirit delivered on the first International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations of the UN, further strengthening cultural exchanges and mutual learning, launch more colorful cultural activities, and enable the people of the two countries to enhance understanding and deepen friendship through cultural integration. We will continue to expand cooperation areas, innovate cooperation models, and achieve mutual benefit, win-win results and common development. In addressing global challenges, we will stand side by side, speak with one voice, and contribute to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

With the joint efforts of the whole humanity, the momentum for advancing dialogue among civilizations will only grow stronger in the future. Let our dialogues play a harmonious symphony and raise the sails on the voyage toward an even better future of human civilizations.