William N.Brown|Create an Asian Community of Shared Future Thru Mutual Learning

读书嘉宾：

厦门大学MBA管理学院美籍教授。1993年，被授予 “国家友谊奖”。2001年，获颁“福建省荣誉公民”。2018年10月，著作《我不见外——老潘的中国来信》中英文版出版。

英文文本：

Create an Asian Community of Shared Future Through Mutual Learning

Ladies and gentlemen,

Friends,

Diversity spurs interaction among civilizations,which in turn promotes mutual learning and further development. We need to promote exchanges and mutual learning among countries, nations and cultures around the world, and strengthen popular support for a community of shared future for both Asia and humanity as a whole. To that end, I believe it is imperative that we take the following actions:

First, we need to respect each other and treat each other as equals.

All civilizations are rooted in their unique cultural environment. Each embodies the wisdom and vision of a country or nation, and each is valuable for being unique itself. Civilizations vary from each other only as human beings differ in terms of skin color and the language used. No civilization is superior to others. It is foolhardy to think that one’s own race and civilization are superior and to insist on remolding or replacing other civilizations. To act these out will only have catastrophic consequences. If world civilizations are reduced to one single color or one single model, the world will become monolithic and a dull place to live. What we need is to respect each other as equals and say no to hubris and prejudice.We need a deeper understanding of the differences between our own civilizations and others, and we must work to promote interaction, dialogue and harmony among civilizations.

In the many places I have visited around the world, what fascinates me most is civilizations in their rich diversity. I cannot but think of the Central Asian city of Samarkand, the Luxor Temple in Egypt, Sentosa in Singapore, Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok, and the Acropolis in Athens, to mention just a few. China is ready to work with other countries to protect Asian cultural heritage and better preserve and sustain our civilizations.

Second, we need to uphold the beauty of each civilization and the diversity of civilizations around the world. Each civilization is the crystallization of human creation,and each is beautiful in its own way. An aspiration for all that is beautiful is common to all humanity, and nothing can hold it back. Civilizations do not have to clash with each other; what is needed is to see the beauty in all civilizations with eyes. We should keep our own civilizations dynamic and create conditions for other civilizations to flourish. Together we can make the garden of world civilizations more colorful and vibrant.

The beauty of a civilization finds concrete expression in the classic works of philosophy and social sciences and works of literature, music, film and TV drama. Now, a large number of outstanding cultural works from other countries are being brought into China, and a lot of fine Chinese cultural products are being introduced to other countries. China is happy to launch initiatives with other countries to translate Asian classics both from and into Chinese and to promote film and TV exchanges and cooperation in Asia. This will help people in Asia better understand and appreciate each other’s cultures and build a platform of exchanges and mutual learning for the best of Asian civilizations to spread and be better known to the world.

Third, we need to stay open and inclusive and draw on each other’s strengths. All living organisms must renew themselves through metabolism; otherwise, life would come to an end. The same is true for civilizations. Long-term self-imposed isolation will cause a civilization to decline, while exchanges and mutual learning will sustain it. A civilization can flourish only through exchanges and mutual learning with other civilizations. Such exchanges and mutual learning should be reciprocal,equal-footed, diverse, and multidimensional; they should not be coercive,imposed, one-dimensional, or one-way. We need to be broad-minded and strive to remove all barriers to cultural exchanges. We need to be inclusive and always seek nourishment from other civilizations to promote the common development of Asian civilizations through exchanges and mutual learning.

People are the best bridge for exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations. Increased people-to-people exchanges and mutual learning, for that matter, are a sure way to eliminate estrangement and misunderstanding and to promote mutual understanding among nations. Over the years, in collaboration with other countries, China has established many platforms and channels for cooperation in education, culture,sports, health, and other fields. China will work with other countries to step up exchanges among youths, NGOs, subnational entities, and media organizations,to create a network of exchanges and cooperation between think tanks, to explore new models of cooperation, and to deliver more solid outcomes in diverse forms. Such efforts will boost exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

Fourth, we need to advance with the times and explore new ground. To sustain a civilization,it must be kept vibrant and built on its heritage from one generation to the next. More importantly, a civilization needs to adapt itself to the changing times and break new ground. The history of world civilizations tells us that every civilization needs to advance with the times and take in the best of its age in order to progress. We need to come up with new ideas to add impetus and inspiration to our civilizations. Through these efforts we will deliver achievements for our civilizations to transcend time and space and endure.

To spur people’s innovation and creativity, the best way is to come into contact with different civilizations, see the strengths of others, and draw upon them. Last year,Chinese tourists made over 160 million overseas trips, and more than 140 million foreign tourists visited China. These visits played an important role in promoting exchanges and mutual learning between China and the rest of the world. In this connection, China will work with other countries to implement a plan to promote tourism in Asia. This will further boost economic development in Asia and deepen friendship among the Asian people.