Peking University professor celebrates diversity, particularity at Global Civilizations Dialogue

Can "celebrating difference" bring us closer together? At the Global Civilizational Dialogue Ministerial Meeting in Beijing, Roger T. Ames from Peking University posed a question worth thinking about: Even when civilizations seem at odds, could they actually share common ground?

By referring to the Italian activist Lorenzo Marsili, Ames noted the importance of universality for addressing global challenges.

"Italian activist Lorenzo Marsili turns to classical Chinese philosophy with its commitment to making the best of the immediate moment and gives us an alternative to absolutism and relativism with a kind of planetary pragmatism. When we are able to establish a contingent system of practices that carries us in the direction of serving the interests of everyone everywhere, a kind of concrete universality emerging out of the particular circumstances of our contemporary reality might provide us with a planetary scale, norms, and institutions needed to respond effectively to our shared global concerns," he said.

Despite the diversity between civilizations, all cultures pursue common values and virtues. It is the shared values and the uniqueness built on these values that underpin a world of equality and shared development.

"Even though many of the participants in the revived civilizational dialogue take stances that seem to place them at odds with each other, In fact, under sustained scrutiny, we discovered that they are, by and large, using different political terminologies to advocate for the common values of openness, equity, inclusiveness, pluralism, hybridity and diversity," said Ames.

"Whether it is family, community, polity, or civilization, we are in need of a more nuanced pursuit of relational equity that not only acknowledges but in fact celebrates our particularity, 'Ge Mei Qi Mei' (Each to appreciate their own virtues), and that encourages the diversity that equities respect for difference promises us when, instead of merely tolerating our cultural differences, we activate those same differences. To make a difference for each other," he said.

Peking University professor celebrates diversity, particularity at Global Civilizations Dialogue

Peking University professor celebrates diversity, particularity at Global Civilizations Dialogue

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's official visit to China signals a policy shift towards building a more pragmatic relationship between the two countries, according to a Canadian researcher.

Carney arrived in Beijing on Wednesday to begin an official visit to China through Saturday, which marks the first trip by a Canadian Prime Minister to the country in eight years.

Robert Hanlon, director and principal investigator of Canada and the Asia Pacific Policy Project (CAPPP) at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, told the China Global Television Network (CGTN) that Carney's visit indicates Canada is recalibrating its strategic perception of China, which could cement the foundation for the country's economic diversification efforts and boost the development of bilateral cooperation.

"I think it's a clear message that he has moved Canada's strategy to a much more pragmatic, interest-based, -focused relationship with our trading partners, moving away from values-based narratives that we might have heard on previous governments. Canada has spoken about moving from what the Prime Minister's Office is calling "from reliance to resilience", and that means diversifying our economies and our trade everywhere in the world. And so China being our second largest trading partner, it makes perfect sense for our PM to head to Beijing," he said.

The scholar also noted the huge cooperation potential between the two sides in economic and trade fields, citing Canada's efforts to step up shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the planned construction of an oil pipeline in Alberta which aims to increase export access to Asian markets. "Canada and China both share tremendous economic opportunities together and so finding ways to enhance our exports. Canada specifically looking to build out its LNG and oil, kind of export market. We know Canada is a major producer of critical minerals and China is a buyer. And so there's a lot of synergy between that kind of those kind of markets," he said.

Canadian PM's visit to China paves way for more pragmatic trade ties: scholar