ACC Secretary-General Attended Dialogue of Asian Civilizations

On 23 March 2016, H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) attended the Dialogue of Asian Civilizations during the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2016. 

The meeting was moderated by Mr. Bai Yansong, Anchor of CCTV. Mr. Jiang Jianguo, Minister of State Council Information Office, Mr. Shaukat Aziz, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ms. Nada Al-Nashif, Assistant Secretary-General of UNESCO attended the meeting and delivered keynote speeches. Mr. Jiang Jianguo put forward three suggestions on promoting Dialogue of Asian Civilizations. First, establishing a routine mechanism for the dialogue of Asian civilizations, to inject continuous impetus to Asian cooperation on civilizations. Second, shaping diversified channels to create an environment for this dialogue to take place. Third, broadening the dialogue to multiple platforms. Mr. Shaukat Aziz emphasized on the diversity of Asia’s cultures, suggesting that we should break the barriers and make a joint effort to build a open and inclusive Asian culture. The Belt and Road Initiative made by the Chinese leaders has important implications on enhancing the civilizational exchanges. We should seize this opportunity to improve our connectivity in the areas infrastructure, trade and culture, to learn from each other and increase mutual understanding. Ms. Nada Al-Nashif said culture dialogue would bring friendship and understanding among the countries. We should learn from the spirit of the ancient silk road to resolve the potential conflict by enhancing civilization dialogue. 

Mr. Cheng Yung-nien, Director of the East Asia Institute of the National University of Singapore, Mr. Ahmad Jalali, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to UNESCO, Mr. Lin Yifu, Professor and Honorary Dean, National School of Development of Peking University, Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, Mr. Mo Yan, Laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature, and Mr. Zhang Weiwei, Dean of China Institute of Fudan University joined the discussion. They hold the view that Asian culture featured in uniqueness. The civilizations should strengthen communication on the basis of self-confidence, equality and respect, to build a brighter future for Asian culture together.  

 On the same day, Secretary-General Yang attended the sub-forum “Ancient Therapy: Rediscovering the Value of Traditional Medicines”. Mr. Wang Guoqiang, Minister of State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mr. Zhang Boli, Academician of China Academy of Engineering, and Mr. Li Zhaoxing, China’s Former Foreign Minister attended the sub-forum and delivered speeches, and interacted with the audience.