A powerful knowledge system can spread values

In the West, many scholars tend to compare the Communist Party of China with the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. But one should view the Party in the context of China's thousands of years of civilization and history, rather than its recent history, say, from the First Opium War in 1840 onward.

The development of Chinese civilization in general can be divided into four stages: From 13th century BC to 2nd century AD, when thoughts and thinkers flourished in China; from 3rd century to 10th century, when the introduction of Buddhism influenced the Chinese civilization; from 11th century to 19th century, when neo-Confucianism became mainstream thought; and from the late 19th century to the present, when Western thoughts and cultures flowed into and influenced China.

The Chinese civilization is open, inclusive and adaptive. It has become stronger, not by rejecting foreign influence, but by absorbing it. Unlike religious civilizations, which are monotheistic in nature, the Chinese civilization welcomes the co-existence of different religions.