Mutual learning between civilizations for a more inclusive, balanced, and just world

Prepared by Dr. Badra Gaaloul, President of the International Center for Strategic Security and Military Studies 31-07-2025

For thousands of years, civilizations have been built to contribute profoundly to the progress of humanity, offering rich legacies that continue to shape the modern world. Today, it is of both historical and urgent contemporary significance that nations come together to strengthen cultural exchanges, promote mutual learning, and advance the development of all civilizations. Scientific and intellectual exchange must not remain the privilege of a specific country or group, it is a universal right. Restricting it carries dire consequences for the future of humanity.

The current imbalance we witness stems from powers that have built their so-called “superiority” on the weakness of others, often underpinned by racism and exclusion. In contrast, promoting dialogue between civilizations and fostering mutual learning has become a catalyst for global peace and development. It is a vision that calls upon political leaders, thinkers, and elites worldwide to uphold this principle.

This vision aligns with President Xi Jinping’s notable “Dialogue of Civilizations” initiative, which emphasizes that all civilizations, despite their differences, are valuable and essential to the human journey. The Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), underpinned by the ideas of cultural exchange and civilizational dialogue, advocates for tolerance, coexistence, and reciprocal learning, principles that are indispensable in a world where the fate of nations is increasingly interconnected.

Such initiatives pave the way for global justice, mutual respect among peoples, and the right of all nations to self-determination, ultimately creating a world of equal opportunities. The diversity and plurality of civilizations should be seen not as a source of conflict, but as a foundation for dialogue and the sharing of experiences.

In today’s world, amid escalating crises and violations of sovereignty, it is more imperative than ever to institutionalize equitable learning among nations. This represents not only a revival of ancient human and civilizational bonds but also a bold step toward repairing a fragmented global fabric threatened by the dangers of technological and nuclear warfare, dangers that place the entire planet, along with all forms of life, at risk.

The different colors of civilization can complement each other

Since the 1980s, the West has sought to distort the concept of civilizational harmony. Some Western scholars and policymakers actively promoted the “Clash of Civilizations” thesis, originally proposed by American political scientist Samuel Huntington in 1993. In his book The Clash of Civilizations, he claimed that some civilizations are superior to others and sought to divide the world along ideological and racial lines. Shockingly, this toxic theory was widely disseminated and amplified through powerful propaganda mechanisms.

Against the backdrop of a world undergoing unprecedented shifts, changes rarely seen in a century, the Global South is rising collectively, demanding its legitimate right to modernization. Meanwhile, global shortfalls in peace, security, development, and governance continue to worsen.

The West, in turn, has begun exporting values hostile to humanity, promoting racism, and igniting wars aimed at undermining human civilization itself. It is abandoning international law in favor of jungle politics, asserting dominance through violence and double standards. It has reached the point where war criminals and occupying powers are framed as having the “right to self-defense.” This hypocrisy has awakened the conscience of the world, revealing long-concealed lies and mobilizing efforts to save humanity from civilizational and wartime criminals.

President Xi’s deeply thoughtful statement that “no civilization is superior to another” reflects a profound understanding of the threat facing humanity. He rightly believes that all civilizations are equal and unique, each contributing to human progress in its own way. In a speech at UNESCO headquarters in Paris in 2014, President Xi remarked, “Civilizations come in different colors, and such diversity makes exchanges and mutual learning all the more valuable.”

In 2023, shortly after launching the Global Civilization Initiative, President Xi reiterated during an event in San Francisco that the initiative seeks to “urge the international community to address the imbalance between material and cultural progress, and to jointly promote the continued advancement of human civilization.”

China’s global initiatives, particularly the Global Civilization Initiative, call for a fair and inclusive world order, one rooted in equitable governance rather than monopolized development or the domination of one nation or group of nations. The GCI sends a clear message from China and the Global South: every nation has the right to choose its own developmental path. Modernization need not, and should not, be synonymous with Westernization, which historically has meant colonial exploitation and the theft of resources and human potential.

Today, humanity faces the threat of a savage imperialist model that shamelessly overturns all human values for its own colonial gains. It now brands anything different as “evil” and arrogantly labels itself the “force of good.” This absurd dichotomy is both laughable and tragic, and it betrays every principle of human dignity.

In September 2024, during the opening ceremony of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum Summit, President Xi proposed several partnership measures for modernization, beginning with the “Action Plan for Civilizational Mutual Learning.” He emphasized that “China will strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges with Africa, support mutual respect, inclusion, and peaceful coexistence among civilizations as we pursue modernization together, and work to achieve tangible outcomes through the Global Civilization Initiative.”

This approach has inspired African nations to deepen their partnerships with China, embracing broad cooperation. More importantly, many African peoples today are leading real liberation movements, rejecting the racist Western powers that deliberately impoverished and excluded them from knowledge, modernization, and development, all in a bid to dominate and plunder their resources.

The world today is grappling with rampant racism and widening knowledge gaps. The current global system, crafted to serve Western interests, fails to meet the evolving needs of the Global South. Thus, China’s call for a balanced, just, and inclusive modernization process is a natural and necessary response to humanity’s challenges.

What makes this initiative particularly powerful is its potential to break the chains of mental dependency, liberate the mind from internalized defeat, and create an enabling environment for national renewal and growth. The Global Civilization Initiative can become a transformative force, restoring global balance, warding off the perils of war and exploitation, and dismantling the vile scourge of racism.