Promote cultural exchange and mutual learning

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations very much welcomes and attaches great importance to the " Belt and Road" initiative and the global civilization initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping. Both of these initiatives contribute to the joint efforts of the world to respect cultural diversity and achieve inclusive coexistence among civilizations

The initiative of jointly building the "Belt and Road" has been of great and far-reaching world significance since its inception. This initiative creatively inherits and promotes the spirit of the ancient Silk Road, endowing it with new era spirit and humanistic connotations. At present, the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" has become an important platform for promoting cultural exchanges.

For more than 10 years, the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" has not only promoted policy communication, facilities connectivity, smooth trade and financial integration, but also promoted people to people connections, providing opportunities for people of different cultural backgrounds to strengthen exchanges. This initiative has achieved fruitful results in various regions such as Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America, and has been fully reflected in infrastructure construction, cultural exchange, and other aspects.

The Chinese nation is an ancient and great nation in the world, and China is an ancient civilization. Whether in the past or present, China has made important contributions to promoting the development of human civilization and strengthening exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations. I had the privilege of visiting Dunhuang, a highly charming historical and cultural city in China. There, I fully experienced the weight of history. For thousands of years, artists and thinkers from different regions have exchanged ideas through various forms of artistic expression, greatly enriching the treasure trove of human civilization.

Jointly building the "Belt and Road" attaches great importance to cultural exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations, and brings people to people connectivity into the key areas and directions of the initiative's future development. Exchange and mutual learning among different civilizations are important driving forces for promoting human progress, helping countries strengthen mutual understanding and jointly improve global governance. Currently, the trend of multipolarity in the world has not changed, and different countries and civilizations must respect each other and achieve common development. If all parties cannot understand each other and lack awareness of the diversity, equality, and inclusiveness of civilizations, they will overlook the contributions of other civilizations, let alone learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses, which will add more unstable factors to world peace and development. As some scholars have said, only by achieving peace at the cultural and civilized levels can the world have true peace.

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations very much welcomes and attaches great importance to the "Belt and Road" initiative and the global civilization initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping. Both of these initiatives contribute to the joint efforts of the world to respect cultural diversity, achieve inclusive coexistence of civilizations, and help all parties at different stages of development achieve mutual benefit.

History tells us that cultural exchanges between Europe and China, as well as between the West and the East, have had a positive impact on both sides. As early as the time when Marco Polo lived, the interaction between Europe and China had extended from trade to various fields such as science, philosophy, and art. Currently, some people in the West are constantly advocating for the so-called "decoupling", which has never been an effective solution to address challenges. I look forward to further strengthening exchanges in various fields, including cultural exchanges, between Europe and China. To this end, we support various measures to promote cultural exchanges between Europe and China, and look forward to jointly building the "the Belt and Road", the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and other important platforms for cultural exchanges between Europe and China.

(Author: Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain)