Your Excellency UNAOC High Representative Miguel Ángel Moratinos,

USG Movses Abelian,

USG Xu Haoliang,

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,

I’m very happy to attend the launching ceremony of “Journey through Civilizations”. 

As you might have already seen, this exhibition, organized by our friends at CCTV, offers virtual displays of Liangzhu and other ancient Chinese civilization sites. It takes us back through the 5000 years of Chinese history and culture, offering an inspiring journey of the Chinese civilization.

Apart from the Chinese civilization, the exhibition also highlights cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world. That’s why the title of the exhibition is “Journey through Civilizations”, with civilization in plural form.

The Chinese civilization is known for its openness, inclusiveness, and dynamics. Through cultural exchanges, the Chinese civilization is constantly gaining new vitality, and at the same time, contributing to the progress and prosperity of world civilizations.

Diversity of civilizations is the source of exchanges and mutual learning, which then lead to common development for all. As Secretary-General Guterres said, diversity is a richness, not a threat. Both China and the UN have always been champions of the diversity of civilizations. By holding this exhibition at the UN, we are showing our strong support for such diversity and the UN’s work in relevant fields. For that, we will work closely with all partners, including UNAOC, which has been doing a remarkable job in this regard.

In order to better build a community with a shared future for humanity, President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Civilization Initiative, which calls for respecting the diversity of world civilizations, upholding the shared values of humanity, cherishing the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and strengthening international cultural exchanges. This represents the direction of harmonious coexistence, mutual learning, and common development of different civilizations and peoples. It also constitutes the basis for us to address common challenges of today, achieve common security, and open up a common future.

Moving forward, we will continue working with all partners to implement the Global Civilization Initiative in the UN, and actively promote exchanges, mutual learning, and mutual trust among civilizations. In doing so, I’m sure we will together make our world a more peaceful and tranquil place, and deliver a better life to all people around the world.