'Holistic approach' addresses global woes

The Global Civilization Initiative, or GCI, proposed by President Xi Jinping has not only established a platform for the world to connect and engage in dialogue, but also helped to promote the wisdom of China and other nations, experts said.

Wirun Phichaiwongphakdee, director of the Thailand-China Research Center of the Belt and Road Initiative, said during the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting held last week that it gave the world's political leaders a precious chance to know more about Chinese solutions and Chinese wisdom.

The meeting, which was held via video link, also provided opportunities for other countries to share the dividends from China's path to modernization, he added.

The GCI, which calls for the respect of the diversity of civilizations and to uphold the common values of humanity, reflects the collective wish of most people in the world, Wirun said. "I think the Chinese path to modernization is a real practice of respecting the diversity of civilizations, as the concept of modernization itself should not be defined by a single source, but can be explained by diversified forms in different political, cultural and historical contexts. China has been pursuing a development road with the insistence on openness and mutual understanding. As what President Xi had said, a single flower doesn't make spring."

Khalid Taimur Akram, executive director of the Pakistan Research Center for a Community with Shared Future, said the distinct feature of Xi's GCI proposal is that his vision of modernization is not limited to China only.

"The president highlighted the importance of support of political parties that can steer and drive the process of modernization. The efforts of all the political parties can push the agenda toward development and modernization," he said.

He also said the GCI can ensure the importance of common values of humanity, peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom for all people. "The holistic approach of the Global Civilization Initiative will likely explore the building of a global network for inter-civilization dialogue and cooperation, and will enrich the content of exchanges and expand paths of cooperation to encourage mutual understanding and friendship among people of all countries."

Filling cultural spaces

The salient features of the proposal are diversity of civilization and respecting the inheritance and innovation of civilization, Akram said. Xi "stressed upon people-to-people cooperation and exchange. I believe the initiative will work out of the box in terms of filling the spaces between cultures and civilizations", he said.

The initiative is presenting mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, and will bring cultural exchanges that transcend estrangement, mutual learning that transcends clashes, and coexistence that transcends feelings of superiority, Akram said.

Karori Singh, emeritus fellow and former director of the South Asia Studies Center at the University of Rajasthan in India, said the Beijing meeting was an important event for China's efforts to promote dialogue and generate greater understanding.

He said the Communist Party of China is performing its role of maintaining the connection between the government and the people.

The GCI, which focuses on people-centric modernization, is based on the interconnected pillars of the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, imbibing multilateralism, promotion of solidarity, dialogue of civilizations, recognition of inheritance and innovation, he said.

"It thus is an exploration of common global development and security architecture in the 'fragmented and fractured' world," he said.

Singh added that China's efforts, in the spirit of the GCI, have proved to be effective, as seen from its 12-point peace plan for the Ukraine crisis, and its success in bringing the estranged Saudi Arabia and Iran to the negotiating table. "Xi's visit to Moscow will further facilitate such efforts," he said.

Echoing Xi's speech that nations should uphold the principles of equality and mutual learning, Chaiyasit Tantayakul, adviser to the Horticultural Science Society of Thailand, said all nations in the world should advocate respect for various development paths and diversified cultures, and oppose ideological confrontations in various forms.

"Over the past years, China has kept pursuing peaceful development and mutually beneficial cooperation, which are illustrated in China's Global Civilization Initiative, and are crucial to promoting the collective growth of developing countries," he said.