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Published: 12:32, March 18, 2023
Xi's Global Civilization Initiative champions human needs and trends
By Dr Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan
Published:12:32, March 18, 2023 By Dr Mehmood Ul Hassan Khan

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, attends the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting via video link and delivers a keynote address in Beijing, China, on March 15, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

The Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 15 is full of hope for humanity and vividly reflects spirits of compassion, coordination and collaboration through dialogue, diplomacy and development among different civilizations. 

Based on services to the people and respect of humanity, the GCI is an innovative and integrated effort to promote global peace and harmony, progress and prosperity of all civilizations. While campaigning for transformational interfaith harmony, transitional tolerance and traditional respect for others, it stands for modernization with futuristic vision pertaining to sustainable bilateral relations and meaningful multilateral propositions around the globe. 

Notably, GCI is the third major global initiative presented by Xi after the Global Development Initiative in 2021 and the Global Security Initiative 2022. It is holistic in line with its nature of being constructive, productive, and sustainable. 

Our world and peoples have been raged because of intensified geopolitical struggle forced onto chessboard of power politics and widespread proxies. Unfortunately, the greedy politicians of the US-led West coined new concepts of national narratives i.e. "clash of civilizations" and "superiority of civilizations", and mislead the public opinion which ultimately creates more division, destruction and deterioration of law and order in the world. 

Resultantly, poor humanity suffers in the line of fire and fire is everywhere to burn spirits of rational thinking, tolerance and regional and global unity. The dark shadows of hatred and estrangement of civilizations have seriously hindered spirits of international cooperation and coordination.

The socio-politico rise to right-win politicians and dissemination of White-Man Superiority, extremism and tragic incidents of “black swan" and "grey rhino" are occurring frequently, clearly indicating planned division in their so-called civilized societies. Moreover, multiple challenges and crises are intertwined and superimposed. 

China and the CPC stand out by putting forward visions of GCI, GDI and GSI and putting them into practice while successfully achieving two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability

Against all these, the GCI is gift for all the states, societies and systems operating in the world because it is anti-hatred, anti-prejudice and anti-discrimination and spells out strategic importance of equality, fair-play and peaceful coexistence of different civilizations. 

By advocating respect for diversity of civilizations, GCI speaks highly that different civilizations can tolerate each other and coexist, and support each other in respective development rights. It shuns hatred, prejudice, discrimination and genocide in the world.

By advocating the common values of humanity, GCI stresses common aspirations of all peoples for peace, development, equity, justice, democracy and freedom. It cares for dignity of all and is guarantor of social equality, economic stability, political sustainability and facilitator of greater connectivity and socio-economic integration. 

By advocating the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, GCI is pooling the resources of motivation and setting practical paths for modernization with collective progress of humanity in a better tomorrow.

And by advocating robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, GCI speaks out ways to achieve common progress and prosperity well beyond the enlarged gaps of the have the have-not.

Different countries and civilizations badly need to work together to deal with global challenges that affect the future and destiny of mankind as a whole. The GCI may be treated as holistically and timely to cater the widening gaps of distrust, disharmony and disinformation. 

The GCI propositions are putting the people first and ensuring that modernization is people-centered; upholding the principle of independence and exploring diversified paths towards modernization; helping others to succeed while seeking one's own success and ensuring all can enjoy the outcomes of modernization; and forging ahead with enterprise and integrity.

Unfortunately, despite worldwide destruction and collateral damage, worshipers and schemers of Cold War mentality still exist and expand, and are demarcating ideological boundaries and engaging in bloc confrontation which has ruined the true spirits of globalization, internationalism and universal togetherness. Such mentality has led to and intensified the Russia-Ukraine conflict and tensions in the Pacific region.

Worse, the Western media, in AUKUS countries especially, fan up flames to again distinguish friends and foes in the name of so-called superior "values" and wooing one faction while fighting against another, compromising common human values and worsening global division

Obviously, the world and its people do not deserve further division and destruction, rather, they urgently need harmony instead of horrendous crimes, cooperation instead of looming conflicts, and coordination instead of conspiracies for achieving a qualitative life for all in the world with no discrimination, socio-economic genocide, racial, color and cast exploitation. 

Thus GCI is the gateway for corridors of socio-economic integration, greater regional connectivity, human, psychological and philosophical better understanding; it is new social, political and economic charter of civilizational cooperation in the new modern world which would be useful to put an end to emerging burning hotspots around us.   

In this connection, the People's Republic of China and the Communist Party of China stand out by putting forward visions of GCI, GDI and GSI and putting them into practice while successfully achieving two miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability. 

Before and during the pandemic years, while making fast progress on its unique path to modernization, China has happily shared with the world without reservation to achieve common development through mutual exchange and learning. GCI along with GDI and GSI are all high-quality global public goods demonstrating China's goodwill, wisdom and contribution.

The author is Executive Director of The Center for South Asia & International Studies (CSAIS) Islamabad.

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