Seeking Asian Consensus through Dialogue
On March 23, 2016, the Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, themed on “Plural Civilization and New Vitality in Asia,” was held on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in the coastal town of Boao, Hainan Province, providing an opportunity for delegates from China, Pakistan, Iran, Singapore and UNESCO to share their opinions.
At the opening plenary of the BFA Annual Conference 2016, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang called for a dialogue among Asian civilizations and welcomed every country and region to participate. “The more challenging the task of development is in the region, the more imperative it is for us to join hands, build on our traditional friendship and pool our collective wisdom, so as to carry forward the Asian Consensus and achieve our common pursuit for development,” he noted in his speech.
When addressing the Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, Jiang Jianguo, minister of the State Council Information Office, stressed that promoting dialogue and communication in mutual learning is a major undertaking for Asian civilizations. He also called for the strengthening of communication among youth in Asia to consoli- date the foundations of friendship.
As per China’s suggestions regarding this issue, Jiang made three proposals: establish a routine mechanism for the dialogue of Asian civilizations, shape diversified channels to create an environment for this dialogue to take place, and broaden the dialogue to multiple platforms.
Other guest speakers showed their agreement and remarked that equality and mutual respect are important for the cohesion of the greater Asian civilization, which consists of various sub-level civilizations in different countries. They also said that economic difficulties and security concerns are still pressing issues faced by most countries in Asia, and called for cooperation between all countries in Asia to achieve everlasting peace and prosperity in the region.
At the Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, Shaukat Aziz, former prime minister of Pakistan, highlighted the cooperation opportunities the Belt and Road Initiative had brought to his country and to regions along the routes. He added that trade and investment should also be enhanced via local mechanisms including the As-
sociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Ahmad Jalali, ambassador and permanent representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to UNESCO, remarked that communication between civilizations is based on listening rather than debating, and that dialogue between civilizations isn’t political negotiation. It's not about trying to persuade or defeat others. He added that doctrines of Confucianism, Taoism, and Islam all stress mutual learning and promoting communication by listening to each other.
Justin Lin Yifu, professor and honorary dean of the National School of Development at Peking University, pointed out that dialogue between two different civilizations is not one side wagging a finger at the other, but both seeking commonalities while maintaining their uniqueness, thus making contributions to world peace.
When speaking at the same event, Nobel Prize laureate Mo Yan noted that cultural diversity is a distinctive characteristic of Asian civilization, as well as the region’s biggest treasure worthy cherishing. “In fact, the dynamics of Asia’s future development is hidden in the region’s cultural diversity,” he opined.