Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in Beijing on Wednesday.

Asian people expect peaceful, stable Asia

President Xi said Asian people are expecting an Asia of peace, common prosperity, openness and integration.

He noted maintaining peace is a responsibility that every country should undertake.

Without peace, constant conflicts and fierce wars would break out, he said, adding in this case, economic growth, improvement of people's livelihood, social stability and people-to-people exchanges will all become empty talk.

The Asian people hope to live free from fear, get along well with each other and jointly maintain peace, which is more precious than gold, Xi noted.

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President Xi hopes to build an Asia of peace, prosperity and openness

Mutual respect, equal treatment among civilizations

President Xi said to face common challenges and march toward a bright future, we need not only economic and technological power, but also the power of cultural civilization.

It is foolish to believe that one's race and civilization are superior to others, and it is disastrous to willfully reshape or even replace other civilizations, Xi said. 

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President Xi: There are no superior or inferior civilizations

Asian people expect open, integrated Asia

Xi said that Asian people expect an open and integrated Asia.

Exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations should be conducted in a reciprocal and equal manner, and be diversified and multi-directional, Xi said, noting they should not be compulsory or forced or be a one-way flow. 

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Xi: Respect the beauty of other civilizations and build a future together

Asia tourism promotion plan 

China is willing to implement an Asia tourism promotion plan with other countries, President Xi Jinping said.

Chinese people made more than 160 million outbound trips in 2018 while inbound trips by overseas tourists exceeded 140 million, Xi said, calling the trips "important forces for promoting exchanges and mutual learning among Chinese and foreign civilizations."

Confidence of civilization

Asia should enhance the confidence of civilization, Xi said. 

"We should keep exchanges and mutual learning with other civilizations in the world, and strive to continue writing new brilliant chapters of Asian civilizations," Xi said.

"We should consolidate the cultural foundation of jointly building an Asian community of shared future and a community with a shared future for humanity," Xi added.

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Xi: Enhance cultural self-confidence, strive to write a new chapter

The Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations was initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference in 2015.

It is aimed at providing a platform to enhance interactions among the youth, local communities and the media and to form a network of cooperation among think tanks, so as to add to the rich cultural lives of Asia and contribute to greater vibrant regional cooperation and development.