Asian political parties welcome China's Global Civilization Initiative in promoting culture of peace

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- Representatives of Asian political parties have welcomed China-proposed Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) to promote a culture of peace, said a declaration released in Phnom Penh on Saturday.

The Phnom Penh Declaration on Peace and Reconciliation was issued at the conclusion of the 12th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), which was hosted by the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and attended by representatives of 49 political parties from 28 countries.

"We shared the view that tolerance of cultural, ethnic, racial and religious diversities is essential for lasting peace, and agreed that we will endeavor to promote cultural and religious tolerance, inter-faith harmony, traditional values and peaceful coexistence among nations and ethnicities as well as the Asian tradition of mutual respect," the declaration said.

"In this regard, we welcomed the Global Civilization Initiative that will be pursued on the notion of harmony without uniformity rather than a coercive insistence on uniformity," it added.

Proposed by China in March 2023, the GCI advocates respect for the diversity of civilizations, the common values of humanity, the importance of inheritance and innovation of civilizations, as well as robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.

Chea Munyrith, president of the Cambodian Chinese Evolution Researcher Association, said the GCI is another important public good China has shared with the world in the new era after the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative.

"The GCI inspires countries to uphold the principles of equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness among civilizations, and let cultural exchanges transcend estrangement, mutual learning transcend clashes, and coexistence transcend feelings of superiority," he told Xinhua.

"The GCI has inspired countries to keep an open mind in appreciating the perceptions of values by different civilizations, and to refrain from imposing their own values or models on others and from stoking ideological confrontation," Munyrith added.

According to the declaration, the representatives of Asian political parties also welcomed and supported the United Nations initiatives and the Global Development Initiative in promoting multilateralism and inclusive development. ■