Editor's Note: As the Communist Party of China (CPC) approaches the 105th anniversary of its founding, on July 1, CGTN presents "How the Communist Party of China Works," a special series of in-depth news analyses. This series offers a systematic analysis of the CPC's sustained effectiveness, examining its institutional resilience, people-centered philosophy and global significance.

Proposed by China and co-sponsored by over 80 countries, a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in June 2024 designated June 10 as the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. 

In June this year, a series of events, including art performances, painting exhibitions and cultural workshops, was held at UN organizations in New York, Vienna and Paris to celebrate the occasion.

Speaking highly of the China-proposed Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) and its contributions to promoting dialogue among civilizations, participants underscored the importance of fostering solidarity through dialogue and promoting the building of a more just and peaceful world, calling on all countries to further promote mutual understanding and friendship among peoples and harmonious coexistence among different civilizations.

The GCI, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in March 2023 during the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting, is an important public good offered by China to the international community in the new era. It helps promote dialogue among civilizations and seeks to overcome divisions through mutual exchange and understanding.

Political parties play a vital role in advancing exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. With an open vision and a broad mind, the CPC engages in exchanges and mutual learning on an equal footing with political parties around the world, and promotes equal dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation with an inclusive attitude.

Enriching the garden of world civilizations

At present, some countries pursue unilateralism and protectionism, clinging to theories of the "clash of civilizations" and "civilizational superiority."

When estrangement between civilizations, cultural friction and confrontations over values fuel tensions and conflicts between nations, a range of issues usually break out – ranging from widening development gaps and weakened international rules to growing disorder in global governance.

In response to these pressing challenges, the GCI offers a shared cultural foundation for countries to address their common struggles, emphasizing letting exchange prevail over estrangement, mutual learning over clashes, and inclusiveness over cultural superiority.

"The world we live in is diverse and colorful. Diversity makes human civilization what it is, and provides a constant source of vitality and driving force for world development," Xi has said. This important statement provides guidance for answering the questions of how different civilizations should coexist and where human civilization is headed.

China holds deep respect for civilizational diversity and has been advancing deeper, more substantive exchanges among civilizations. The country has initiated and supported multilateral dialogue platforms, including the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, the Liangzhu Forum, the World Conference of Classics, and the Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting.

Meanwhile, China has also expanded dialogue on governance and development through mechanisms such as the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting, the High-level Dialogue on Global Development, the China-EU Human Rights Dialogue, and the China-Latin America Human Rights Roundtable.

"China proposes a global solution to the world's problems. It advocates for relations among nations that are not aimed at conflict or mutual destruction, but rather win-win cooperation, dialogue and shared prosperity," Gyula Thurmer, president of the Hungarian Workers' Party (HWP), told CGTN.

"I believe that the approach of advocating and seeking inter-party relations in order to foster mutual learning is correct and necessary," Kaivon Kjems, international secretary of the Communist Party of Denmark, told CGTN during an interview, adding that without the understanding of differences, mutual learning would be extremely difficult. 

The CPC's approach reflects the Marxist-Leninist principle that there are no universal formulas and that every party must analyze its own concrete conditions while learning from the experiences of others, said Kjems.

Promoting global development

Upholding the principles of independence, equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, the CPC boosts exchanges and cooperation with political parties and organizations across the world, and builds numerous cooperation platforms in areas covering education, culture, sports and health, pooling strength for advancing the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

As a significant outcome of China-Africa exchanges on state governance, the Chinese-built Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Leadership School in Tanzania stands as a key symbol of the friendly cooperation between the CPC and African parties. Focusing on party building, grassroots governance and poverty alleviation experience sharing, the institution, co-founded by six parties in southern Africa, has provided localized training for African political cadres, and helped African parties improve governance capacity based on their own cultural traditions.

In Southeast Asia, the CPC and the Lao People's Revolutionary Party signed a bilateral action plan for building a China-Laos community with a shared future. Drawing on practical experience in rural development and infrastructure connectivity, the two sides have promoted livelihood projects and regional coordination, setting a model for cross-party mutually beneficial cooperation.

Regarding people-to-people exchanges, China has held years dedicated to people-to-people exchanges, tourism and education with a slew of countries, and established over 3,000 sister province/state and sister-city pairings with more than 150 nations, actively building bridges for cultural and people-to-people interaction.

Today, the CPC boasts an ever-expanding circle of "international friends." It has established various forms of ties with over 600 political parties and organizations in more than 160 countries and regions, establishing a global network of party-to-party partnerships featuring diverse channels, extensive areas and in-depth engagement.

Thurmer said the relationship between the HWP and the CPC is a good example of effective and mutually useful cooperation. "There is a regular change of delegation and common seminars," he said. "The CPC regularly invites young cadres to study the CPC experience. It has very great importance also for our internal work, and for the education of our young generations." 

"The Global South has for too long been forced into unequal economic and political relationships that benefit the Global North," Kjems said, adding that the CPC's approach to win-win collaboration flips this dynamic.

"Win-win collaboration helps develop the productive forces of the Global South and removes the basis for imperialist value extraction," he said.