Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, proposed the Global Civilization Initiative at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting on March 15. Under the initiative, Xi called for respect for the diversity of civilizations, advocating the common values of humanity. According to a CGTN poll, the essence of the initiative is highly recognized by the global public.

The Global Civilization Initiative states that countries should respect the diversity of global civilizations, and uphold the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness, and let cultural exchanges transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clashes, and coexistence transcend feelings of superiority. 

According to the poll, 80.3 percent of respondents held the same opinion, and believe that the existence of multiple civilizations in the world has a positive effect on the development of the world. And, 85 percent of respondents believe that humans are interconnected as a whole, and that we should build a community with a shared future characterized by tolerance and cooperation. Besides, 89.6 percent of respondents called on countries to strengthen dialogue and cooperation with openness and tolerance. And the percentage is higher in developing countries at 93.7 percent.

The initiative advocates the common values of humanity. Countries need to keep an open mind in appreciating the perceptions of values by different civilizations, and refrain from imposing their own values or models on others and from stoking ideological confrontation. About 94.2 percent of the respondents highly agreed with the common values of humanity, said the poll, adding that 84.8 percent of respondents believe there are differences in the history, culture and context of different countries, and should follow different developing paths for political systems. A total of 86.8 percent of respondents advocate countries to have mutual respect and seek common ground while reserving differences when conducting international relations, the survey added.

The Global Civilization Initiative is another significant public product after the Global Development Initiative and Global Security Initiative. It proposed a brand new Chinese approach to promoting mutual learning and advancing humanity's civilizational process.

The data is collected from three global surveys conducted by CGTN. The number of respondents reached 15,574 people, covering 40 countries and regions worldwide, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Pakistan, India, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil, Peru, Mexico and so on.

(Cover: A picture of the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting in Beijing, China, March 15, 2023./China Media Group)