Your Excellency Under-Secretary-General Moratinos,

Dear Colleagues,

Let me start by thanking you and the UNAOC for convening this meeting. 

We are meeting against an international landscape that is both fluid and turbulent. Countries around the world are calling for solidarity and cooperation. Dialogue among civilizations is the mission history has placed on our generation. We must keep faith, and make unremitting efforts in this direction.

Let me share with you three reflections.

First, equality and mutual respect create favorable conditions for peaceful coexistence.

Every civilization is rooted in its own history. None is superior to another, and efforts to mold another civilization in one’s own image will sow further division. 

This is the thinking behind China’s Global Civilization Initiative: a call to embrace diversity of civilizations, and to reject the notion that they will inevitably clash. Let us approach other civilizations and countries as equals and with mutual respect, and open the door to lasting peace and stability.

Second, openness and inclusiveness create larger space for shared prosperity.

Civilizations prosper through openness and inclusiveness, not isolation or exclusion. As the Chinese would put it, “The beauty of a delicious soup lies in the blending of different flavors.”

It is in this spirit that China proposed designating an International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations. We believe dialogue can break down barriers, dispel misunderstanding, and bring new vitality to cooperation and development.

Third, exchanges and mutual learning create stronger momentum for human progress.

Throughout history, humanity’s greatest advances have emerged when different civilizations enriched and inspired each other. That same power of exchanges remains alive today.  

When civilizations learn from one another, they can create new possibilities. We call for strengthening people-to-people exchanges in order to inspire greater progress worldwide.  

Dear Colleagues,

The UNAOC Group of Friends is a force for stability and justice in a turbulent world. We need to make good use of this platform and further strengthen it. China is committed to implementing the GCI, joining hands with the UNAOC in successfully holding the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations and is actively considering hosting the 2028 UNAOC Global Forum to draw inspiration from dialogue in order to tackle various global challenges. 

Humanity has only one Earth and only one shared future. Let our dialogues play a harmonious symphony and raise the sails on the voyage toward an even better future of human civilizations. We are confident that through dialogue, global civilizations can defuse tensions, build trust, and contribute positively to shaping a shared destiny for the human race.

Thank you.