On May 23-24, the international “Second Europe-Asia: Dialogue of Civilizations Conference” was held in the Russian city of Perm on the Europe-Asia border. Statesmen, politicians, diplomats, and experts from various regions of the Eurasian continent participated in the Conference.
One of the speakers at the conference was Lu Xiaojun, Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Russian Federation. Below we document her speech.
UWI translated the text from Russian and set the title.
Dear Deputy Chairman Klimov,
Dear Governor Makhonin of the Perm Region,
Dear participants,
Good afternoon! I am very pleased to meet you in the beautiful city of Perm and to exchange views on the theme ‘Europe – Asia: Dialogue of Civilizations’, to talk about cooperation and the future. First of all, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Russian Federation, I would like to congratulate you on a successful conference!
Eurasia is the cradle of human civilization. On ancient trade routes, such as the Silk Road and others, for hundreds of years people from different countries of Europe and Asia exchanged goods and maintained friendly relations. Chinese, Islamic, Indian and other civilizations integrated and developed through exchanges and mutual learning with cultures from other regions, together making up a rich and colorful world civilization.
In today’s world, numerous problems and crises are intertwined. The global economic recovery is difficult, the development gap is widening, the ecological environment continues to deteriorate, the Cold War mentality persists, and the deficits of peace, development, trust and governance continue to grow. Human society is once again at the crossroads of history. In order to cope with all the challenges together, we need to rely not only on material means to overcome difficulties, but also on spiritual strength and sincerity.
In this context, General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, and President Vladimir V. Putin proposed the concept of ‘Greater Eurasian Partnership’ and the concept of ‘Russia: State-Civilization’. All these initiatives embody the precious knowledge of human civilization, and give us unique directions for solving today’s global problems.
The second conference, organized by the United Russia Party and the Government of Perm Krai, is dedicated to strengthening the dialogue between Eurasian civilizations in the context of new global challenges. It has a very important and far-reaching significance from both a historical and a contemporary point of view.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
Sino-Russian cooperation has a deep cultural and civilizational basis. The two countries have demonstrated a high degree of complementarity and compatibility not only in time and space, material and strategic spheres, but also at the level of spiritual civilization. That is why the global civilization initiative was highly appreciated by Russia, immediately after it was put forward by President Xi Jinping. The concept of President V.V. Putin’s concept of ‘Russia: State-Civilization’ also immediately received strong support from China. Just last week, President Vladimir Putin made a successful state visit to China. It was his first trip abroad since his re-election and he was warmly received by President Xi Jinping.
The two heads of state signed and issued a joint statement emphasizing ‘cultural and civilizational diversity and identities as the foundations of a multipolar world’, and expressed their willingness to jointly ‘promote exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations’ and resist cultural domination.
China and Russia, as major civilizations, continue to strengthen and develop permanent good-neighborly friendship, comprehensive strategic coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation, all in line with the fundamental interests of the two countries and their peoples, in line with the expectations of the international community and the development trends of the times, and of utmost importance.
The Communist Party of China is willing to work with the United Russia Party to thoroughly implement the important agreements reached by the two heads of state, to use the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia as an opportunity to continuously enrich the content of regular exchanges between the two sides, to continue to strengthen the political and strategic mutual trust between China and Russia, and to enrich the cultural exchanges between the two countries, so as to contribute the Party’s wisdom and strength to promoting the development of the two countries’ mutual relations.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Global Civilization Initiative and President V.V. Putin’s concept of ‘Russia: State-Civilization’ are intended to help more people understand the value of civilizational exchanges and to revive faith in international exchanges and cooperation. We are ready, together with the countries of Eurasia, to help the initiative of global civilization take root in the Eurasian region and to benefit human society together.
We hope to jointly create an atmosphere of equitable and inclusive exchanges among Eurasian civilizations. Each civilization has its own unique charm and represents the quintessence of human wisdom, which deserves respect. We call for the abandonment of arrogance and prejudice, jointly oppose the consideration of one or more civilizations as competitors, and oppose the ‘clash of civilizations theory’.
We hope to jointly enhance the effectiveness of the mechanism of dialogues and exchanges between Eurasian civilizations in the humanitarian sphere. It is necessary to actively use the role of existing bilateral and multilateral platforms for dialogues and exchanges between civilizations at all levels, and to promote the implementation of the United Nations Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations. Expand exchanges of value concepts, methods and experiences underlying the policies of various countries, and jointly seek reasonable ways to address global challenges and problems. China will submit a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly on the establishment of an ‘International Day of Dialogue among Civilizations’, in order to further enhance the international community’s understanding of the important value of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and to help the international community face global challenges with unity.
We hope to work together to promote greater interaction between the peoples of Europe and Asia. Ultimately, dialogue among civilizations is communication among people. We call for greater attention to the enabling role of political parties, parliaments and civil society organizations in various countries in promoting exchanges among civilizations, increasing the participation of women, youth and other groups in dialogues and exchanges among civilizations, and jointly building a multi-level and multi-sectoral model of civilizational exchange.
We hope to jointly introduce innovative forms of dialogue and cooperation among Eurasian civilizations. Dialogues and exchanges between civilizations are inseparable from new, bright and attractive methods and means. We call for actively adapting to the new requirements of the era of digitalization, smartization and carbon footprint reduction, continuing to strengthen traditional channels of dissemination of civilizational exchanges, using new media and new technologies to create innovative ways and forms of civilized exchanges and dialogues, and jointly exploring and promoting the integration of civilizational and cultural exchanges into people’s daily lives.
The past is prologue, the future is what is worth waiting for. We will stand firmly on the side of the progress of human civilization, together with the countries of Eurasia, actively promote the initiative of global civilization, develop the common values of mankind, and deepen exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, so that the flowers of human civilization can bloom as brightly as possible, and the future of building the Community of the Common Destiny of Mankind becomes brighter and more promising.
In conclusion, I wish the conference a complete success!
Thank you!