Nishan attendees tout diversity as key to advancing global modernization

Diversity can promote shared prosperity and guide the global modernization process, scholars and experts from around the world said at the 11th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations in Qufu, Shandong province, on Thursday.

More than 560 guests from over 70 countries convened for the two-day event in the historic county-level city, where Chinese philosopher Confucius was born in 551 BC.

At the forum, participants discussed how Confucian culture continues to resonate in the modern world, the critical role of global collaboration in driving modernization and the impact of artificial intelligence on human civilization.

Faced with various natural or human-made challenges in the process of modernization, no member of the international community can go through it alone, participants said.

They called for a concerted effort to eliminate suspicion and barriers, resolve conflicts and contradictions, and strengthen ideological and cultural foundations to advance global modernization collectively.

Addressing the opening of the forum, Sun Chunlan, president of the International Confucian Association, said that a thorough exploration of how to manage the relationships between different civilizations and their role in advancing modernization holds great practical significance.

"Today, China is committed to offering new opportunities to the world through the achievements of its unique path to modernization, and providing new momentum to global partners through its vast domestic market," she added.

Hussain Mohamed Latheef, vice-president of the Maldives, noted that the theme of the forum — "Beauty in Diversity: Nurturing Understanding Among Civilizations for Global Modernization" — is timely and crucial in today's uncertain world.

"In the tide of global modernization, we need to draw strength from our differences and discover the beauty of civilizations and encourage mutual understanding among different cultures," he said.

Quoting an expression from Confucius' wisdom — "Gentlemen seek harmony, but not uniformity" — Jean Louis Robinson Richard, Madagascar's ambassador to China, said that true harmony comes from respecting diversity, not imposing uniformity, and this wisdom is essential for building a peaceful and prosperous global community.

"A forum on the dialogue of civilizations such as the Nishan forum is even more relevant today in a turbulent world where armed conflict seems to be resurfacing," he said.

Some of the participants who are attending the Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting, which kicked off on Thursday in Beijing, joined the opening ceremony of the Nishan forum. They also took a tour of Qufu to gain a better understanding of Confucian philosophy.

"China is furthering the inheritance of Confucius, and his fairness, his wisdom and his loyalty are still valuable, and this is how the traditional background and modern China can match up, can come together and be under a single roof, and that's perfect," said Erdem Ilker Mutlu, chief adviser to the chairman of Turkiye's Patriotic Party.

He noted that the world will find peace as civilizations come to understand each other and interact with respect.