Expert: Sino-US 'civilization clash' a 'trap'

A US expert said that the idea of "civilizational conflict" recently invoked by some individuals is a "trap" to be aware of.

As Beijing and Washington are engaged in intensive efforts to iron out their trade disputes, a US policy-planning official renewed the controversial "clash of civilizations" idea in formulating China policy, igniting hash rebukes and criticism at home and abroad.

John L. Holden, senior director at the Washington-based global consultancy McLarty Associates, said in an interview with China Daily that the "clash of civilizations" worldview is problematic, as it puts explicit emphasis on what divides different peoples, suggesting that the division is intractable.

"Saying the China-US relationship is 'a clash of civilizations' is a trap that both of us should not fall for," Holden said, adding that it is wrong thinking from some minor voices in Washington, who are suggesting China and the US are too different to collaborate and work together.

"While we can't ignore cultural and ideological differences between the world's two largest economies, we should also notice that we are not inhibited or imprisoned by our differences," Holden said.

He said the past and the present in human history have fully attested to the fact that different cultures and civilizations stand to gain from communication and lose from confrontation, and that cooperation should be the first choice for US and China.

Holden, who is past president of the New York-based National Committee on US-China Relations and also a nonresident senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, gave a speech at a panel session at the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations held in Beijing starting Wednesday.

In his speech themed "Boosting Cultural Cooperation and Convergence," Holden mentioned that cultural differences are everywhere and should be celebrated. "Promoting cultural exchanges and integration will help countries reduce diplomatic, economic and political conflicts and frictions and achieve win-win results," he said.

As the two largest countries in the world, China and the US should respect differences, seek more dialogue and work together to solve problems of common interest, Holden said.

The outlook for links between China and the US not only matters to their development but also bears on prospects for the world. Holden noted that the two countries can cooperate to tackle problems that all human beings are facing. "For example, climate change, communicable disease, nuclear proliferation and cybersecurity."

"Big countries like China and the US need to take leadership positions and find joint solutions for these issues, and by working together the two sides can build trust and eliminate prejudices," he said.

Holden said it is essential that countries with different cultural backgrounds work together, and if one looks at the world today, that is in fact what is happening. "Because the vitality of a culture does not come from its rejection and resistance to different cultures, but from its absorption and tolerance of different ideas and concepts."