Cultural dialogue key to overcoming global divisions: former Polish deputy PM

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Poland's former deputy prime minister and finance minister emphasized the critical role of cultural exchange in fostering mutual understanding amid rising geopolitical tensions as the world marks the first UN International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. 

Grzegorz W. Kolodko shared his insights in an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) and said: "I do appreciate it very much, cultural exchange, because it teaches people to be more open for different ideas, different views. And it also shows how to be. Tolerance because we do differ from cultural viewpoint and the more cultural exchange there is, I think there is a bigger chance to respect the other cultures and that is always a good contribution to political and economic cooperation. The more cultural exchange, people to people contacts, the better for economic performance and peaceful cooperation." 

Kolodko, now an economist and director at Warsaw's Kozminski University, stressed that cultural exchanges strengthen political and economic ties by promoting openness and tolerance. Based on his marathon runner experience, Kolodko likened cultural dialogue to a long-distance effort requiring patience and persistence. 

"I'm a marathon runner. I know what is the long run, long distance. My metaphor about a marathon to which you refer is that where you are running and running and running, and after 42 kilometers at last, there is the board, the finish. So, economic and political exercise and cultural exchange are never-ending stories; they are much more than marathons, and endurance is good advice here. The more patience we have to accept the difference in culture, the better for all of us," he said. 

He noted that bridging cultural divides is a continuous process, unlike a race with a clear finish line.   

This year is the first celebration of the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations, which the 78th UN General Assembly session in 2024 unanimously adopted the resolution initiated by China and other 82 countries to designate June 10 each year as the Day.

Cultural dialogue key to overcoming global divisions: former Polish deputy PM

China aims to achieve secure and reliable supply of key core artificial intelligence (AI) technologies by 2027, with its industrial scale and empowerment level remaining among the world's forefront, according to a recent government action plan.

The plan, jointly issued by eight departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Cyberspace Administration of China, and the National Development and Reform Commission, outlines an ambitious push to deeply integrate AI with the manufacturing sector, foster new quality productive forces and comprehensively empower new industrialization. By 2027, the plan targets the deep application of three to five general-purpose large AI models in manufacturing, the development of specialized, full-coverage industry-specific large models, the creation of 100 high-quality industrial datasets, and the promotion of 500 typical application scenarios.

It also aims to cultivate two to three globally influential ecosystem-leading enterprises, a batch of specialized and sophisticated small and medium-sized enterprises, and a group of enabling service providers proficient in both AI technology and industry know-how.

Furthermore, China plans to build a world-leading open-source ecosystem, enhance security governance capabilities, and contribute Chinese solutions to global AI development.

The document outlines measures including promoting the coordinated development of AI chips' hardware and software, supporting innovations in model training and inference methods, fostering key industry-specific large models, and deeply embedding large model technology into core production processes.

The plan also emphasizes making breakthroughs in key technologies such as security protection for industrial model algorithms and training data protection.

China aims for secure, reliable supply of AI core tech by 2027