The inaugural “International Forum on Mutual Learning Among Civilisations” opened yesterday, aiming to establish a new platform for diverse civilisations to engage in equal dialogue, exchange, mutual learning, and mutual inspiration.
The opening ceremony for the two-day forum was held in integrated resort Galaxy Macau, Cotai, featuring over 20 thematic sessions and academic exchange sessions, with 50 experts and scholars from nearly 10 countries participating.
Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Publicity Department Vice Minister Wang Gang said in a speech that the international forum serves as a vivid example of implementing the global civilisation initiative, noting that while Macau nowadays is 33.3 km2 in size, its historical imprints of the integration and coexistence of Chinese and Western civilisations have been preserved for over four centuries.
Macau’s nearly five-century-long history as a West-meets-East place stands as a true record of the harmonious coexistence and mutual development of Chinese and Occidental civilisations, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam said in a speech, adding that Macau will continue to demonstrate that the outdated model of “zero-sum game” is unsustainable, while the new path of “cooperation and harmony” represents the right direction for civilisations.
O said that Macau, as a crucial entrepôt along the Maritime Silk Road, was China’s first city to engage directly with the Western Age of Exploration. It has since become a frontier city for sustained dialogue and deep integration between Chinese and Western civilisations, O continued.
O noted that President Xi Jinping paid an inspection visit to Macau in December last year to attend the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland and the inauguration ceremony of the Macau Special Administrative Region’s (SAR) sixth-term government where he noted in his important instructions that, “Macau should promote international people-to-people exchanges, better present Macau and China to the world, and turn the city into an important window of exchanges between Chinese and Western civilisations.”
O added that the instruction pointed the way for Macau’s cultural development and empowerment, and the forum represents a new starting point for civilisational dialogue with Macau as the platform.
Macau is the preferred venue for the inaugural forum, Chinese Academy Vice President Li Guoqiang told reporters on the sidelines of the forum, adding that Macau, as a crucial hub for the convergence of Chinese and Western cultures, holds a unique historical significance.
Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Publicity Department Vice Minister Wang Gang addresses yesterday’s inaugural “International Forum on Mutual Learning Among Civilizations” at JW Marriott Hotel Macau in Cotai. – Photo: Ida Cheong
This handout photo provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) yesterday shows Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Publicity Department Vice Minister Wang Gang (third from left), Acting Chief Executive Wong Sio Chak (centre), Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam (from left) and other attendees posing for a group photo during the inaugural “International Forum on Mutual Learning Among Civilizations” opening ceremony at JW Marriott Hotel Macau in Taipa’s Galaxy Macau resort.
