Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has called for a renewed global commitment to intercultural dialogue, equity, and mutual respect during the inaugural International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, held under the auspices of the United Nations.
In a video message for the event, Wang — a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee — noted that the day reflects “the shared aspirations of people worldwide to promote understanding, peace, and human progress,” and commended the unanimous adoption of the resolution by all UN member states.
Wang highlighted President Xi Jinping’s Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) as a visionary blueprint for deepening international cooperation. He emphasized that the GCI promotes shared human values, supports civilizational innovation, and enhances people-to-people exchanges — all of which are crucial for addressing the complex challenges of the modern world.
He outlined a three-pronged approach to promoting dialogue among civilizations through the GCI.
“First, upholding equality among civilizations,” Wang stated, urging respect for every nation’s right to independently choose its development path and social system.He advocated for the rejection of a clash of civilizations, interference in internal affairs, unilateralism, and bullying, while promoting shared dignity and equality instead.
“The international community must defend fairness and justice and work to ensure equality and dignity for all,” he asserted.
He also stressed the need to facilitate exchanges among civilizations, calling for the extraction of wisdom from dialogue to address global challenges and broaden pathways to world modernization.
“China is giving positive consideration to hosting the Global Forum of the U.N. Alliance of Civilizations in 2028, and will continue supporting the work of mechanisms such as the Ancient Civilizations Forum with a view to enhancing the platform for dialogue among civilizations around the world,” he stated.
The Chinese diplomat further advocated for the “promotion of progress of civilizations,” calling on the international community to “encourage the flow of ideas, technologies, and personnel, and to keep pushing the frontiers of human knowledge.”
“Under the principle of technology for good, the international community needs to leverage emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to facilitate the continuation and innovation of civilizations, keep increasing common material and cultural abundance and build a community with a shared future where all civilizations thrive together,” he told the conference.
In 2024, the 78th session of the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution proposed by China and 82 other countries, designating June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations each year.
