揭示文明兴衰规律 擘画文明发展路径——全球文明倡议的理论意涵与实践价值
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Unveiling the Laws of the Rise and Fall of Civilizations, and Mapping the Path of Civilizational Development—The Theoretical Implications and Practical Value of the Global Civilization Initiative

揭示文明兴衰规律 擘画文明发展路径——全球文明倡议的理论意涵与实践价值

Gao Xiang, President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, details the motivations and intent behind China’s Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) proposed by Xi Jinping in March 2023. The Chinese development experience, Gao suggests, shows that viable paths to modernization extend beyond what he describes as the Western capitalist model. For Gao, the GCI will democratize international relations in the face of perceived “power politics and hegemonism” of other major powers by institutionalizing people-to-people and cultural exchanges, thereby engendering greater respect for the diversity of national histories, cultures, and conditions.


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At the high-level dialogue between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and international political parties, General Secretary Xi Jinping first proposed the Global Civilization Initiative, profoundly answering the question of “modernization of human society” and injecting confidence and strength into promoting the inclusive coexistence, exchange, and mutual learning of different civilizations, advancing the modernization process of human society, and adding flourish to the garden that is global civilization. The Global Civilization Initiative stems from the exploration and practice of Chinese-style modernization and draws on the experiences and lessons of various civilizations, embodying the historical laws and practical logic of human civilization’s progress. The Global Civilization Initiative has rich theoretical implications and significant practical value, reflecting the wisdom and responsibility of an ancient civilization with over 5,000 years of history, and is another important scientific solution provided by China in the new era to address common challenges facing humanity.

习近平总书记在中国共产党与世界政党高层对话会上,首次提出全球文明倡议,深刻回答了“人类社会现代化之问”,为促进不同文明包容共存、交流互鉴和推动人类社会现代化进程、繁荣世界文明百花园注入了信心与力量。全球文明倡议源于中国式现代化的探索与实践,并汲取各种文明的经验与教训,蕴含着人类文明进步的历史规律和实践逻辑。全球文明倡议具有丰富的理论意涵和重大的实践价值,彰显了拥有5000多年历史文明古国的智慧和担当,是新时代中国为应对人类共同挑战提供的又一重要科学解决方案。

Profoundly revealing the historical laws of the rise and fall of human civilizations

深刻揭示了人类文明兴衰更替的历史规律

Various civilizations created by humanity possess their own distinct characteristics, making significant contributions to the development and progress of human society, and accumulating a profound foundation. Based on a deep understanding of the historical process of human civilization development and the new form of human civilization created by Chinese-style modernization, the Global Civilization Initiative emphasizes respect for the diversity of world civilizations and advocates the concept of equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusion of civilizations. In every historical period, as long as a civilization has focused on exchange, mutual learning, and inclusion, they have been able to achieve the “beauty of each and shared beauty” of civilizations; on the contrary, advocating civilizational barriers, conflicts, and superiority, engaging in a win-lose and winner-takes-all approach, even if they rely on force to gain the upper hand for a time, such civilizations will ultimately disappear in the long river of history. Each civilization is a crystallization of labor and wisdom, embodying and continuing the spiritual bloodline of a nation and its people. Its historical inheritance and development innovations must follow the laws of historical development and conform to the trends of historical development. Chinese civilization, the only great uninterrupted civilization in the world that continues developing to this day, is rooted in the fertile soil of diverse ethnic cultures and achieves inclusive development in the exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations.

人类创造的各种文明,拥有各自的鲜明特质,共同为人类社会发展进步作出了重要贡献,积蓄了厚重底蕴。基于对人类文明发展历史进程和中国式现代化创造的人类文明新形态的深刻认识,全球文明倡议强调尊重世界文明多样性,弘扬平等、互鉴、对话、包容的文明观。在任何历史时期,只要注重文明交流、互鉴和包容,就能实现文明的“各美其美、美美与共”;相反,鼓吹文明隔阂、冲突和优越,搞你输我赢、赢者通吃,纵使一时依靠强力占了上风,但从长远来看,这种文明终将消失在历史长河中。每一种文明都是劳动和智慧的结晶,都凝聚和延续了一个国家和民族的精神血脉,其历史传承和发展创新都必须遵循历史发展规律、顺应历史发展趋势。中华文明作为世界上唯一没有中断、发展至今的伟大文明,植根于和而不同的多民族文化沃土,并在同其他文明的交流互鉴中实现包容发展。

Transcending civilizational barriers through cultural exchange. “To study alone without friends leads to a narrow and uninformed perspective.” The interaction and exchange between civilizations form the foundation of human harmony and coexistence. Throughout history, due to differences in geography, language, and cognition, the exchange between various civilizations has faced numerous challenges, leading to long-standing barriers. Despite this, humanity has never ceased its efforts to promote cultural exchange. For example, the establishment of the ancient Silk Road provided an essential channel for the interaction between Eastern and Western civilizations. Through the Silk Road, economic, cultural, and technological exchanges between ancient China, India, Persia, Arabia, and Rome were continuously expanded, promoting the development and progress of human civilization. The formation and development of ancient Eastern and Western philosophical thought were also informed by folk exchanges, possessing a profound foundation in cultural exchange. The similarities between Confucius’s and Plato’s thoughts are not coincidental; their historical and cultural roots can be traced back to the early exchange and integration of human civilizations. In modern times, exchanges and cooperation between countries have become more frequent and extensive, creating a more inclusive modern civilization. In the early 20th century, Marxism spread from the West to China, and China and European countries entered an important turning point in civilizational exchange as representatives of Eastern and Western civilizations. After the birth of the CCP, Marxism was used as the guiding ideology to create a new era of Chinese revolution and construction, demonstrating the charm of Chinese civilization and promoting the enrichment and development of world civilization to a greater extent.

以文明交流超越文明隔阂。“独学而无友,则孤陋而寡闻。”文明之间的交流互动,是人类和合共生的基础。在历史实践中,由于地域、语言和认知上的差异,各种文明之间的交流面临各种掣肘因素,并因此形成了长期存在的隔阂。尽管如此,人类对推动文明交流的努力却未曾懈怠。例如,古丝绸之路的开辟,为东西方文明的交流和互动提供了重要渠道。通过丝绸之路,古代中国、印度、波斯、阿拉伯、罗马等国家之间的经济、文化和科技交流不断拓展,极大促进了人类文明的发展进步。古代中西方哲学思想的形成与发展也吸收了很多民间交流成果,拥有深厚的文明交流基础。孔子和柏拉图的思想在某种程度上存在相似性,绝不是历史的偶然,其历史文化根源可以追溯到早期人类文明的交流与融合。在近现代,世界各国之间的交流合作更加频繁和广泛,人类社会也因此创造了更加融通的现代文明。20世纪初,马克思主义从西方传播到中国,中国与欧洲国家分别作为东西方文明的代表进入了文明交流的一个重要转折点。中国共产党诞生后,将马克思主义作为指导思想,开创了中国革命和建设的新天地,展现了中华文明的时代风采,更大程度地促进了世界文明的丰富与发展。

Transcending civilizational conflicts through mutual learning. “The beauty of harmony lies in the integration of differences.” The diversity of civilizations endows each with unique charm, and civilizations can improve their quality and promote creative development by complementing and learning from each other. There is no perfect or worthless civilization in the world; civilizations become richer and more sublime through mutual learning and integration. Today, the strong vitality of Chinese civilization lies in its extensive absorption of the advanced achievements of human civilization. The CCP has combined the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific conditions and excellent traditional Chinese culture, forming a series of significant theoretical achievements that guide Chinese people of all ethnic groups to create a harmonious development of material, political, spiritual, social, and ecological civilizations, providing valuable experience and helpful reference for the revitalization of other countries’ civilizations. China has established an independent and peaceful diplomatic policy, vigorously advocating the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, and continuously expanding friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation with countries of different cultures and ideologies. Unlike some Western scholars and politicians who vigorously promote the theory of civilizational conflict in international society, the Chinese people deeply recognize the differences between their own civilization and other civilizations and are committed to promoting a broader and higher level of civilizational dialogue, striving to transcend civilizational conflicts through mutual learning.

以文明互鉴超越文明冲突。“和羹之美,在于合异。”文明多样性赋予不同文明独特魅力,不同文明优势互补、互学互鉴才能提升自身文明品质和推动人类文明实现创造性发展。世界上不存在十全十美的文明,也不存在一无是处的文明,文明因互鉴而丰富,因交融而升华。当今时代,中华文明所展现出来的强大生命力就在于广泛借鉴吸收人类先进文明成果。中国共产党将马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合,形成了一系列重大理论成果,引领中国各族人民创造了物质文明、政治文明、精神文明、社会文明、生态文明协调发展的文明形态,为其他国家文明发展振兴提供了宝贵经验和有益借鉴。中国确立了独立自主的和平外交政策,大力倡导和平共处五项原则,不断拓展同拥有不同文化和意识形态的世界各国友好交往和互利合作。与一些西方学者和政客在国际社会大力鼓吹文明冲突论不同,中国人民既深刻认识到自身文明和其他文明存在的差异,更致力于推动更广范围、更高层次的文明对话,努力实现以文明互鉴超越文明冲突。

Transcending cultural superiority by embracing diversity. “Harmony gives life; uniformity leads to stagnation.” There is no hierarchy among civilizations, only unique characteristics. All achievements of civilization deserve respect, which is the broad-minded attitude that must be held when dealing with different civilizations. History shows that human civilization thrives on inclusiveness, and only by transcending the notion of superiority can civilizations develop and progress through mutual learning and exchange. Some Western countries, taking advantage of their economic, technological, and military superiority since modern times, have promoted the superiority of Western race, culture, and civilization, depicting Western civilization as the end point of human history. This view, marked by capitalist ideology, not only makes Western culture increasingly narrow and closed, but also exacerbates conflicts between civilizations and incites ethnic hatred and turmoil. The Chinese nation has followed the principle of “harmony without uniformity” throughout its 5,000-year history of civilization development, maintaining cultural confidence while understanding and respecting the civilizations of other countries. As a result, it has made an indelible contribution to the progress of human civilization. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Chinese government and people have firmly advocated mutual respect and learning among different civilizations, and for all countries to follow their own paths of civilization development in accordance with their national conditions and the needs of their people. They absolutely do not engage in cultural colonization or ideological export, do not seek to change the political systems and development models of other countries, and do not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. They clearly oppose any form of civilization superiority and attempts to transform or even replace other civilizations, striving to achieve harmonious coexistence and shared beauty among different civilizations.

以文明包容超越文明优越。“和实生物,同则不继。”文明没有优劣之分,只有特色之别。一切文明成果都值得尊重,这是对待不同文明必须具有的宽广襟怀。历史表明,人类文明因包容才有交流互鉴的动力,只有超越文明优越才能在交流互鉴中实现文明发展进步、长盛不衰。一些西方国家借助其近代以来的经济、科技、军事优势地位,到处鼓吹西方种族、文化、文明优越论,将西方文明描绘成人类历史的终结点。这种具有鲜明资本主义意识形态色彩的文明观,不仅使西方文化变得日益狭隘和封闭,还必将加剧文明的冲突,引发民族仇恨和动荡。中华民族在5000多年的文明发展历程中始终遵循“和而不同”原则,在坚定文化自信的同时,理解并尊重其他国家的文明,也因此为人类的文明进步作出了不可磨灭的贡献。中华人民共和国成立后,中国政府和人民坚决主张不同文明相互尊重、相互借鉴,各国都走符合自身国情和民众需要的文明发展道路;绝对不搞文化殖民和意识形态输出,不谋求改变其他国家的政治制度和发展模式,不干涉别国内政;旗帜鲜明地反对各种形式的文明优越论和执意改造甚至企图取代其他文明的做法,努力实现不同文明的和谐共存、美美与共。

Grasping the practical logic of the development and progress of human civilization is crucial

深入把握人类文明发展进步的实践逻辑

The Global Civilization Initiative not only provides intellectual guidance for the development and progress of human civilization, but also sets clear value pursuits, directions, and practical paths for human civilization development from a rational and pragmatic perspective, thus becoming an action guide for promoting the modernization of human society and the prosperity of the world’s civilizations.

全球文明倡议不仅为人类文明发展进步提供了思想指引,更从理性务实的角度为人类文明发展进步明确了价值追求、指明了前进方向、提供了实践路径,从而成为推动人类社会现代化进程、繁荣世界文明百花园的行动指南。

Uphold the valuable pursuit of human civilization development and progress. Over thousands of years of development, human civilization has gradually crystallized the common values of all humanity, including peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, which have become the distinctive characteristics of advanced civilizations. Peace and development are the common cause of humanity, fairness and justice are the common ideals, and democracy and freedom are the common pursuits. Faced with a complex world, the common values of all humanity draw a concentric circle that brings together a broad consensus, derives the greatest common denominator for the aspirations of people in all countries for a better future, and guides the value orientation for jointly building a better world. To promote the common values of all humanity, we must advocate for these values with a high sense of responsibility for the fate of humanity, understand different civilizations’ interpretations of value connotations with an open mind, and respect the explorations of different countries and peoples in realizing the values. We should not impose our own values and models on others or engage in ideological confrontation, but rather embody the common values of all humanity in practical actions that serve the interests of our own people.

坚守人类文明发展进步的价值追求。人类文明在数千年发展进程中,逐步凝聚了和平、发展、公平、正义、民主、自由的全人类共同价值,并成为先进文明的鲜明标识。和平与发展是人类的共同事业,公平与正义是人类的共同理想,民主与自由是人类的共同追求。面对纷繁复杂的世界,全人类共同价值为人类画出了一个凝聚广泛共识的同心圆,得出了各国人民向往美好未来的最大公约数,引领了共同建设更加美好世界的价值取向。弘扬全人类共同价值,就是要本着对人类前途命运高度负责的态度,做全人类共同价值的倡导者;以宽广胸怀理解不同文明对价值内涵的认识,尊重不同国家人民对价值实现路径的探索;不将自己的价值观和模式强加于人,不搞意识形态对抗,而是把全人类共同价值具体地、现实地体现到实现本国人民利益的实践中去。

Indicate the direction for the development and progress of human civilization. Looking back at history, human society has generally progressed towards the development of productive forces, political fairness, and justice, and the liberation of individuality, as well as towards peace, cooperation, development, and mutual benefit. However, this progress is not a chasm that severs history but continuous innovation within the inheritance of civilization. In practice, it means fully exploring the value of historical culture in different countries and promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of their excellent traditional culture in the process of modernization. Excellent traditional culture is the foundation for the inheritance and development of a country and a nation, which requires both passing down knowledge from generation to generation and keeping pace with the times and the modernization process. Traditional culture, in its formation and development, inevitably faces limitations and restrictions imposed by the level of people’s understanding, historical conditions, and social systems at the time, and it inevitably bears the imprint of the old era and contains obsolete elements. This requires proper selection and discernment when learning, researching, and applying traditional culture, combined with the demands of modernization. We must adhere to the principle of using the past to serve the present, learning from the past, treating it with discrimination, and inheriting it with discernment, and promoting the integration and mutual penetration of traditional culture and modern culture through creative transformation and innovative development. Countries around the world must adapt to the new requirements of the era’s progress, strengthen the exploration of their own historical culture, and promote the spirit of excellent traditional culture that transcends time and space, nationality, possesses eternal charm, and has contemporary value. This will allow the most basic cultural genes of a country to adapt to the trends of the times, harmonize with modern society, and coexist with the colorful civilizations created by people from different countries around the world, providing the correct spiritual guidance and powerful spiritual motivation for promoting the development and progress of human civilization.

指明人类文明发展进步的前进方向。纵观历史,人类社会总体朝着生产力发展、政治公平公正、人类个性解放的方向进步,朝着和平、合作、发展、共赢的方向进步。但是,这种进步不是割裂历史的鸿沟,而是在文明传承中不断创新。在实践层面,就是要充分挖掘各国历史文化的时代价值,推动各国优秀传统文化在现代化进程中实现创造性转化、创新性发展。优秀传统文化是一个国家、一个民族传承和发展的根本,既需要薪火相传、代代守护,也需要在现代化进程中与时俱进、推陈出新。传统文化在其形成和发展过程中,不可避免会受到当时人们的认识水平、时代条件、社会制度的局限和制约,不可避免会带有旧时代的烙印,存在陈旧过时的东西。这就需要在学习、研究、应用传统文化时,结合现代化要求进行正确取舍。坚持古为今用、以古鉴今,坚持有鉴别地对待、有扬弃地继承,在创造性转化和创新性发展中推动传统文化与现代文化相融相通。世界各国都要顺应时代进步的新要求,加强对本国历史文化的挖掘,把跨越时空、超越国度、富有永恒魅力、具有时代价值的优秀传统文化精神弘扬起来,让本国最基本的文化基因与时代潮流相适应、与现代社会相协调、与世界各国人民创造的丰富多彩的文明相依存,为推动人类文明发展进步提供正确的精神指引和强大的精神动力。

Offer practical paths for the development and progress of human civilization. Countries around the world have nurtured their own splendid civilizations, which complement and enhance each other, laying a solid foundation for international cultural exchanges and cooperation. International cultural exchanges and cooperation are important ways to promote mutual understanding and affection among people from different countries and jointly promote the development and progress of human civilization. It is also an essential pillar for constructing a new type of international relations in the new era. To this end, the Global Civilization Initiative proposes practical paths for strengthening international cultural exchanges and cooperation, focusing on building a global network of dialogue and cooperation among civilizations, enriching the content of exchanges, and expanding cooperation channels, so that colorful cultural exchanges and cooperation can promote the development of diverse human civilizations. First, improve cultural exchange mechanisms, innovate cultural exchange methods, give full play to the roles of various regions, departments, and fields, actively carry out cooperation in various forms such as parliaments, political parties, think tanks, and localities, regularize and institutionalize cultural exchange and cooperation activities, and continuously build an all-round, multi-level, and wide-ranging international cultural exchange and cooperation network. Second, constantly enrich the content of international cultural exchanges and cooperation, and widely carry out large-scale cultural exchanges in various fields such as academia, education, health, sports, and tourism, thus continuously consolidating the popular foundation for cultural exchange and cooperation. Third, comprehensively use various cultural forms such as literature, drama, film, television, music, dance, fine arts, photography, acrobatics, literary and art criticism, and art education, rationally use mass communication, group communication, and interpersonal communication, and jointly create diverse and effective channels for cultural exchange and cooperation. In May 2019, China established the Asian Civilization Dialogue Conference and other platforms for civilizational exchanges, providing a new platform for promoting mutual learning and transcending civilizational conflicts among Asian and world civilizations. As long as the international community continues to strengthen cultural exchange and cooperation and carries out in-depth and diversified exchanges of ideas and emotions, it will undoubtedly create a new situation of cultural exchange, cultural integration, and mutual understanding among people from different countries, making the world’s civilization garden more vibrant and colorful.

提供人类文明发展进步的实践路径。世界各国孕育了各自灿烂文明,彼此交相辉映,从而为国际人文交流合作奠定了坚实基础。国际人文交流合作是促进各国人民相知相亲和共同推动人类文明发展进步的重要途径,更是新时代构建新型国际关系的重要支柱。为此,全球文明倡议提出了加强国际人文交流合作的务实路径,其重点在于探讨构建全球文明对话合作网络、丰富交流内容、拓展合作渠道,让丰富多彩的人文交流合作推动丰富多彩的人类文明发展。一是完善人文交流机制,创新人文交流方式,发挥各地区各部门各方面作用,积极开展议会、政党、智库和地方等多种形式合作,将人文交流合作活动经常化、机制化,不断构筑全方位、多层次、宽领域的国际人文交流合作网络。二是不断丰富国际人文交流合作内容,广泛开展学术、教育、卫生、体育、旅游等各领域人文大交流,不断筑牢人文交流合作的民意基础。三是综合运用文学、戏剧、电影、电视、音乐、舞蹈、美术、摄影、杂技、文艺评论和艺术教育等文化形式,合理运用大众传播、群体传播和人际传播等多种方式,共同打造方式多样、行之有效的人文交流合作渠道。2019年5月,中国创办的亚洲文明对话大会等文明交流平台,为促进亚洲和世界各国文明开展互学互鉴、共同超越文明冲突提供了新的平台。只要国际社会持续加强人文交流合作,开展深层次、多样化的思想情感交流,就必定会开创世界各国人文交流、文化交融、民心相通新局面,让世界文明百花园更加姹紫嫣红、生机盎然。

Actively respond to the real challenges of modernization in human society

积极回应人类社会现代化的现实挑战

At present, the world, the times, and history are changing in ways never seen before. One of the significant manifestations is that the grave harm caused by hegemonic, domineering, and bullying behaviors such as relying on strength, seizing by force, and zero-sum games, has led to increasing deficits in peace, development, security, and governance, presenting human society with unprecedented challenges. The fundamental solution to these challenges lies in advancing the modernization of human society and building a community with a shared future for humanity. The Global Civilization Initiative is committed to overcoming the common challenges that hinder the modernization of human society, reflecting the practical concerns of protecting human civilization’s achievements.

当前,世界之变、时代之变、历史之变正以前所未有的方式展开。其重要表现之一是,恃强凌弱、巧取豪夺、零和博弈等霸权霸道霸凌行径危害深重,和平赤字、发展赤字、安全赤字、治理赤字加重,人类社会面临前所未有的挑战。如何应对人类社会现代化面临的严峻挑战,根本出路就在于推进人类社会现代化,共同构建人类命运共同体。全球文明倡议致力于克服阻碍人类社会现代化的共同挑战,深刻体现了呵护人类文明成果的现实关怀。

To address the peace deficit, fully demonstrate the peaceful attributes of modern human society. Over the past 100 years, human society has experienced two world wars, causing immense suffering to the people of all countries. Although there has been no large-scale war on a global scale since the end of World War II, conflicts and turmoil have frequently occurred in some countries and regions, and the instability factors in the international situation have increased, posing a serious threat to international peace. In today’s era, a few major powers still cling to the old mindset of the Cold War and zero-sum games, resorting to the use of force or threatening with force, wielding the big stick of hegemony, power politics, and neo-interventionism, stirring up trouble and intensifying contradictions for their own selfish interests, making the global situation more complicated, turbulent, and unstable. In June 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ “Global Trends Report” showed that the number of people displaced worldwide due to war, violence, persecution, and human rights violations in 2021 was approximately 89.3 million, an 8% increase from the previous year and more than double the number 10 years ago. The growing peace deficit indicates that the peaceful attributes of the modernization of human society are facing severe challenges, and the “modernization” of some countries and regions is deviating from the fundamental direction of the development and progress of human civilization. The Chinese nation is a peace-loving nation, and the CCP is a political party that pursues the noble ideal of true and lasting peace for all humanity. In particular, since the new era, China has put forward a series of peace concepts, demonstrating China’s image as a peacebuilder.

破解和平赤字,充分展现人类社会现代化的和平属性。100多年来,人类社会相继经历了两次世界大战,各国人民饱受战争摧残。虽然第二次世界大战后全球范围内未出现大规模的战争,但在一些国家和地区冲突和动荡频发,国际局势中的不稳定因素有增无减,对国际和平构成严重威胁。当今时代,极少数大国仍抱守冷战思维与零和博弈的旧思维,动辄使用武力或以武力相威胁,挥舞霸权主义、强权政治和新干涉主义大棒,为一己之私挑起事端、激化矛盾,使世界局势更加错综复杂、动荡不安。2022年6月,联合国难民署发布的《全球趋势报告》显示,2021年全球范围内因战争、暴力、迫害和侵犯人权行为等原因而流离失所的人数约8930万,较上年增长8%,为10年前的2倍多。日益增长的和平赤字表明,人类社会现代化的和平属性正在遭受严峻挑战,一些国家和地区的“现代化”正在背离人类文明发展进步的根本方向。中华民族是爱好和平的民族,中国共产党是将全人类真正拥有持久和平作为崇高理想追求的政党。特别是新时代以来,中国提出的一系列和平理念,展现了中国和平缔造者的形象。

Address the development deficit and strive to create a driving force for the modernization of human society. Currently, the world economic recovery is weak, and global development momentum is insufficient. In recent years, the adverse factors facing world economic growth have increased significantly, and especially under the impact of sudden factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall economic growth rate shows a downward trend. In January 2023, the International Monetary Fund report showed that the global economic growth rate in 2022 was 3.4%, down 2.8 percentage points from 2021; the global economic growth rate is expected to further decline to 2.9% in 2023. At the same time, the problem of unbalanced and insufficient global development remains prominent. The World Inequality Lab’s 2022 World Inequality Report shows that in 2021, the wealthiest 10% of the global population accounted for 52% of total global income, while the poorest 50% accounted for only 8.5%. Currently, more than 700 million people worldwide still live in extreme poverty, and their most basic needs in healthcare, education, water, and sanitation facilities remain unmet; the poverty rate in rural areas worldwide is 17.2%, more than three times that of urban areas. This shows that the global development deficit is still expanding, and it continues to erode the foundation of the modernization of human society. Faced with an increasing global development deficit, China is committed to the path of peaceful, open, cooperative, and common development, striving to achieve higher quality, more efficient, fairer, and more sustainable development, actively promoting economic globalization towards a more open, inclusive, universally beneficial, balanced, and win-win direction, and constantly consolidating the foundation of human civilization’s progress through China’s modernization achievements while continuously creating new momentum for the modernization of human society.

破解发展赤字,努力创造人类社会现代化的发展动力。当前,世界经济复苏乏力,全球发展动能不足。近年来,世界经济增长面临的不利因素明显增多,尤其在新冠疫情等突发因素的冲击下,经济增速总体呈下滑趋势。2023年1月,国际货币基金组织报告显示,2022年全球经济增长率为3.4%,较2021年下降2.8个百分点;预计2023年全球经济增长率还将进一步降至2.9%。同时,全球发展不平衡不充分的问题仍然突出。世界不平等实验室发布的《2022年世界不平等报告》显示,2021年全球最富有的10%人口占有全球总收入的52%,而最贫穷的50%人口仅占有全球总收入的8.5%。目前,全球仍有7亿多人生活在极端贫困中,其在医疗、教育、用水和卫生设施等方面最基本的需求仍无法得到满足;全世界农村地区的贫困率是17.2%,是城市地区的3倍多。由此可见,全球发展赤字仍在进一步扩大,并不断侵蚀人类社会现代化的根基。面对日益增加的全球发展赤字,中国坚持走和平发展、开放发展、合作发展、共同发展之路,努力实现更高质量、更有效率、更加公平、更可持续的发展,积极推动经济全球化朝着更加开放、包容、普惠、平衡、共赢的方向发展,让中国式现代化的发展成果不断夯实人类文明进步的根基,不断创造人类社会现代化的新动力。

Address the security deficit and comprehensively build security guarantees for the modernization of human society. At present, traditional and non-traditional security threats are intertwined globally, and the global security situation is complex and severe. In traditional security, the geopolitical competition among major powers is intensifying, the trend of “grouping” in the world and confrontations between groups are becoming more apparent, and the threat of nuclear war is also on the rise. There are approximately 22,000 nuclear weapons in existence today, and more than 2,000 nuclear tests have been conducted so far, posing a significant threat to the safety of all humanity. In non-traditional security, issues in areas such as climate change, the environment, food and energy, information networks, and public health are becoming more prominent. According to the 2022 World Food Security and Nutrition Situation report released by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and other agencies, between 702 million and 828 million people faced hunger in 2021, an increase of about 46 million compared to 2020 and a cumulative increase of about 150 million compared to 2019. At the same time, the global energy production and supply situation continues to deteriorate, and energy prices remain highly volatile. Eliminating the global security deficit requires the solidarity and cooperation of all humanity. However, due to a lack of trust, it is difficult for the international community to build cooperative consensus and take cooperative actions. In response, China insists on mutual consultation and understanding, winning respect through respect, dispelling doubts with sincerity, and promoting progress through cooperation. The Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China draws on the experiences and wisdom of human civilization development and is committed to providing a more comprehensive, long-term, and thorough security guarantee for the modernization of human society.

破解安全赤字,全面打造人类社会现代化的安全保障。当前,全球传统安全与非传统安全威胁相互交织,全球安全形势复杂严峻。在传统安全领域,大国地缘政治博弈日趋激烈,世界“集团化”以及集团间对抗趋势日益明显,核战争威胁也有所上升。当今世界现存的核武器数量约2.2万枚,迄今为止已进行了2000余次核试验,这足以对全人类安全构成极大威胁。在非传统安全领域,气候变化、生态环境、粮食能源、信息网络、公共卫生等领域的问题加速凸显。据联合国粮农组织等机构发布的《2022年世界粮食安全和营养状况》报告,2021年世界约7.02亿至8.28亿人面临饥饿,较2020年增加约4600万人,累计较2019年增加约1.5亿人。同时,全球能源的生产和供应形势持续恶化,能源价格高位波动。消弭全球安全赤字,必须依靠全人类的团结合作。然而,由于缺乏互信,国际社会难以凝聚合作共识和采取合作行动。对此,中国坚持互商互谅,以尊重赢得尊重,以坦诚化解猜疑,以合作推动共进。中方提出的全球文明倡议更是从人类文明发展史中汲取经验和智慧,致力于为人类社会现代化提供更全面、更长远、更彻底的安全保障。

Address the governance deficit and continuously improve the governance system for the modernization of human society. At present, the peace deficit, development deficit, and security deficit are not effectively controlled, which is related to the severe governance deficit that exists in the international community. On the one hand, the increasing prominence of global issues has raised greater demands and requirements for global governance, and greater expectations for the role of major powers in international affairs; on the other hand, the ability and willingness of some major powers to provide global governance public goods have declined. As the world’s largest economy, the United States pursues its own interests first, arbitrarily implementing unilateralist policies that harm others for its own gain, making the dysfunction, failure, and disability of the current global governance system more prominent. In recent years, the United States has repeatedly withdrawn from or threatened to withdraw from international mechanisms, keen to establish exclusive “small circles” and “small groups,” politicizing, instrumentalizing, and weaponizing global governance, hindering the reform and construction process of the global governance system, and undermining the institutional foundation of global governance. As important participants and contributors to global governance, the representation and discourse power of emerging market countries and developing countries are seriously restricted. Facing the turmoil and changes in the world, the global governance system needs to advance with the times and change as needed. To this end, China proposes and practices a global governance concept of consultation, co-construction, and sharing, advocating for countries around the world to pool their wisdom, contribute their strengths, do their best, and share the results. As a new international public good, the Global Civilization Initiative has become an important part of the global governance system, promoting the development of the global governance system in a more just and reasonable direction and guiding the modernization of human society to enter a new stage from chaos to governance and from governance to prosperity.

破解治理赤字,不断完善人类社会现代化的治理体系。当前,和平赤字、发展赤字和安全赤字得不到有效控制,与国际社会存在的严重治理赤字不无关系。一方面,全球性问题的日益凸显对全球治理提出了更大需求和更高要求,对大国在国际事务中扮演的角色提出了更大期待;另一方面,一些大国提供全球治理公共产品的能力和意愿有所下降。作为全球第一大经济体,美国奉行自身利益优先,肆意推行以邻为壑、损人利己的单边主义政策,使现行全球治理体系失灵、失效、失能的现象更加突出。近年来,美国多次退出或威胁退出国际机制,热衷于建立排他性的“小圈子”“小集团”,将全球治理政治化、工具化、武器化,阻碍了全球治理体系改革和建设进程,破坏了全球治理的制度基础。作为全球治理的重要参与者和贡献者,新兴市场国家与发展中国家的代表性和话语权受到严重制约。面对世界的动荡变革,全球治理体系需要与时俱进、因时而变。为此,中国提出并践行共商共建共享的全球治理观,倡导世界各国集思广益,各施所长、各尽所能、成果共享。作为一项新的国际公共产品,全球文明倡议已成为全球治理体系的重要组成部分,它将推动全球治理体系朝着更加公正合理的方向发展,并引导人类社会现代化迎来从由乱到治走向由治及兴的新阶段。

Fully embody the global significance of China’s modernization with Chinese characteristics

全面彰显中国式现代化的世界意义

For more than 100 years, the CCP  has steadfastly upheld the common values of humanity, such as peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, and vigorously promoted the great cause of human civilization progress. Through continuous exploration and practice, China has created a new form of human civilization with Chinese characteristics. This new form of human civilization created by the CCP  has come from the over 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, from exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations, and from the combination of Marxist principles with China’s specific conditions and excellent traditional culture. Therefore, it is a new form of human civilization with rich contemporary connotations and strong vitality. The Global Initiative on Civilization is a major theoretical innovation of China’s modernization process, fully embodying the global significance of China’s modernization with Chinese characteristics.

100多年来,中国共产党始终坚守和平、发展、公平、正义、民主、自由的全人类共同价值,奋力推进人类文明进步的伟大事业,经过不断探索和实践,以中国式现代化创造了人类文明新形态。中国共产党创造的人类文明新形态,是从5000多年的中华文明中走来的,是从人类文明交流互鉴中走来的,更是从马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际、同中华优秀传统文化的结合中走来的,因而是拥有丰富时代内涵和强大生命力的人类文明新形态。全球文明倡议是中国式现代化进程中产生的重大理论创新成果,充分彰显了中国式现代化的世界意义。

Actively practicing new concepts to promote human civilization progress. The core concept of the new form of human civilization created by China’s modernization with Chinese characteristics is to adhere to the people-centered philosophy and continuously realize the people’s pursuit of a better life. During the period of the New Democratic Revolution, the CCP, guided by Marxism-Leninism, formed and developed a set of values that led the revolutionary struggle, thoroughly ended the history of semi-colonial and semi-feudal society in old China, and achieved a great leap forward from thousands of years of feudal politics to people’s democracy. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the CCP united and led the people of all ethnic groups to rely on their own efforts and hard work, creating extraordinary achievements that made the Chinese people incredibly proud. In the long-term practice of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization construction, the CCP has led people of all ethnic groups in unremitting exploration, and China has achieved a great leap from standing up and getting rich to becoming strong. Entering the new era, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the development concept of innovative, coordinated, green, open, and shared development, and made sharing the starting point and foothold of development, leading the Chinese people to take a historic step towards comprehensive human development and common prosperity.

积极践行促进人类文明进步的新理念。中国式现代化创造的人类文明新形态的核心理念是坚持以人民为中心,不断实现人民对美好生活的向往。在新民主主义革命时期,中国共产党以马克思列宁主义为指导,形成和发展了引领革命斗争实践的价值理念,彻底结束了旧中国半殖民地半封建社会的历史,实现了中国从几千年封建政治向人民民主的伟大飞跃。中华人民共和国成立后,中国共产党团结带领全国各族人民自力更生、艰苦创业,创造了令中国人民无比自豪的非凡发展成就。在改革开放和社会主义现代化建设长期实践中,中国共产党团结带领全国各族人民进行不懈探索,迎来了中国人民从站起来、富起来到强起来的伟大飞跃。进入新时代,习近平总书记提出创新、协调、绿色、开放、共享发展理念,并把共享作为发展的出发点和落脚点,带领中国人民向人的全面发展和全体人民共同富裕迈出了历史性步伐。

Successfully exploring a new path to promote human civilization progress. The core content of the new form of human civilization created by China’s modernization with Chinese characteristics is that China has successfully explored a path to modernization with Chinese characteristics. Since its inception, the CCP has deeply recognized the various drawbacks of capitalist modernization and has thoroughly summarized the historical lessons of many developing countries falling into a development trap by blindly following the Western model. Therefore, the CCP has insisted on independently exploring a modernization path that suits China’s national conditions. In just a few decades of China’s modernization process after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the CCP has united and led people of all ethnic groups to achieve historic achievements that have amazed the world. Unlike the modernization path of Western developed countries, the new path of China’s modernization with Chinese characteristics not only breaks the myth that following the capitalist modernization model is the only path to modernization, but also expands the ways for developing countries to achieve modernization. It provides new options for many countries and nations that aspire to independent development, and contributes new solutions to solving the problems arising from human social modernization and coping with the challenges to human civilization.

成功走出促进人类文明进步的新道路。中国式现代化创造的人类文明新形态的核心内容是成功走出了一条中国式现代化道路。中国共产党自成立之日起就深刻认识到资本主义现代化的种种弊病,深刻总结了不少发展中国家照搬西方模式而陷入发展陷阱的历史教训。为此,中国共产党坚持独立探索符合本国国情的现代化道路,并在中华人民共和国成立后短短几十年的现代化进程中,团结带领全国各族人民取得了令世人瞩目的历史性成就。与西方发达国家的现代化道路完全不同,中国式现代化新道路不仅打破了只有遵循资本主义现代化模式才能实现现代化的神话,还拓展了发展中国家走向现代化的途径,为世界上众多渴望独立发展的国家和民族实现现代化提供了新的选择,为解决人类社会现代化产生的问题和应对人类文明挑战贡献了新的方案。

Create a new system that promotes stable development and advances human civilization. The great practice of creating a new form of human civilization through China’s modernization is a historical process of exploring, establishing, consolidating, and developing the socialist system, and it is also a great cause that leads the world socialist movement. For more than 100 years, the CCP has united and led all ethnic groups in China to carry out arduous struggles, complete the socialist revolution, establish and develop the socialist system, and promote the revival and development of the world socialist movement. The new form of human civilization created by the CCP has strong vitality and lasting influence, demonstrating the incomparable superiority of the socialist system. The new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics is profoundly influencing the world pattern and the development of human society with additional brilliant development achievements, continuously pushing the world socialist movement into a new historical stage and making scientific socialism in 21st-century China flourish with new vitality.

稳固发展促进人类文明进步的新制度。中国式现代化创造人类文明新形态的伟大实践,是一个探索、创建、巩固、发展社会主义制度的历史过程,更是一项引领世界社会主义运动的伟大事业。100多年来,中国共产党团结带领全国各族人民进行艰苦卓绝的斗争,完成社会主义革命,确立和发展了社会主义制度,推进了世界社会主义运动的复兴和发展。中国共产党创立的具有强大生命力和持久影响力的人类文明新形态,彰显了社会主义制度的无比优越性。新时代中国特色社会主义正在以更加辉煌的发展成就深刻影响世界格局和人类社会发展进程,不断推动世界社会主义运动进入新的历史阶段,让科学社会主义在21世纪的中国焕发出新的生机活力。

Promote the establishment of a new order that advances human civilization. The new form of human civilization created by China’s modernization advocates openness, inclusiveness, cooperation, and win-win results. From an international perspective, it requires promoting the establishment of a more just and reasonable international new order and creating a new world of lasting peace and universal prosperity. As a Marxist party that strives for social justice, the CCP has consistently supported the efforts of developing countries to establish a new international order and advocated that the new international order should reflect the universal aspirations and common interests of people around the world and meet the requirements of historical development and the progress of the times. This new order aims to end hegemonism and power politics, promote the democratization of international relations, and enable every member of the international community to have a say in international affairs. China will continue to practice true multilateralism, advocate and uphold the international rule of law, and be a steadfast guardian of international fairness and justice, as well as a contributor and builder of the global governance system.

推动建立促进人类文明进步的新秩序。中国式现代化创造的人类文明新形态是倡导开放、包容、合作、共赢的人类文明新形态。从国际上看,它要求推动建立更加公正合理的国际新秩序,创造一个持久和平、普遍繁荣的新世界。作为一个努力实现社会公平正义的马克思主义政党,中国共产党一贯支持广大发展中国家为建立国际新秩序所进行的努力,主张国际新秩序应该反映世界各国人民的普遍愿望和共同利益,应该体现历史发展和时代进步的要求。这种新秩序就是要结束霸权主义和强权政治,推行国际关系民主化,让国际社会的每个成员在国际事务中都拥有发言权。中国将继续践行真正的多边主义,主张国际上的事应该由大家商量着办,做国际法治的倡导者和维护者、国际公平正义的坚定守护者、全球治理体系的贡献者和建设者。

The Global Civilization Initiative conforms to the historical trend of development and provides a Chinese answer to the question of human social modernization, offering a guiding ideology and action plan for the development and progress of human civilization. As more and more countries actively respond to and promote the implementation of the Global Civilization Initiative, human society will inevitably embark on a new journey of modernization and build a more prosperous garden of global civilization.

全球文明倡议顺应历史发展潮流,给出了人类社会现代化之问的中国答案,为人类文明发展进步提供了思想引领和行动指南。随着越来越多国家积极响应和推动落实全球文明倡议,人类社会必将开启现代化的新征程,建成更加繁荣的世界文明百花园。

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Cite This Page

高翔 (Gao Xiang). "Unveiling the Laws of the Rise and Fall of Civilizations, and Mapping the Path of Civilizational Development—The Theoretical Implications and Practical Value of the Global Civilization Initiative [揭示文明兴衰规律 擘画文明发展路径——全球文明倡议的理论意涵与实践价值]". CSIS Interpret: China, original work published in Contemporary World [当代世界], April 18, 2023

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