MACAU: Chinese philosophy and wisdom can help bridge geopolitical differences, encourage cross-cultural dialogue and improve global governance, officials and international cultural leaders heard at the 2026 International Forum on Mutual Learning Among Civilisations, which opened in the Macau Special Administrative Region on Monday.
Key topics discussed included harmony without uniformity, openness and inclusiveness, as well as the multicultural coexistence demonstrated by the Hong Kong and Macau SARs under the “one country, two systems” principle.
The two-day gathering, held at the Galaxy International Convention Centre, is themed “Mutual Learning among Civilisations, Inheritance and Development”, reflecting the vision behind the Global Civilisation Initiative proposed by China in 2023.
The initiative calls for a concerted response to global challenges by encouraging inclusiveness, mutual learning, respect for diverse civilisations and harmonious coexistence among cultures.
“The Global Civilisation Initiative contributes Chinese wisdom to addressing global challenges, promoting respect for diversity and shared human values in a world where cultural barriers still remain, and perspectives differ,” Macau SAR Chief Executive Sam Hou-fai said at the opening ceremony.
The forum, he said, plays an important role in advancing cultural prosperity and strengthening people-to-people ties through substantive discussions on mutual learning, cultural continuity and development.
Sam said Macau, strategically positioned in national policy as a key window for Chinese-Western exchanges, is committed to upholding peace, inclusiveness, openness and sharing under the “one country, two systems” principle.
He pledged to make full use of the city's exchange and cooperation mechanisms to facilitate the meeting of diverse traditions with Chinese culture at the core.
Li Guoqiang, a member of the Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and director of the Research Centre for Macau History at the Chinese Academy of History, said mutual respect, common purpose and harmonious coexistence were the way forward for human civilisation.
“We hope this platform gives diverse civilisations ample space for expression, helps them flourish together and inspire one another,” he said.
In keynote sessions, seven leading international experts discussed how societies could learn from one another, with the role of Hong Kong and Macau as facilitators in focus.
Feng Shi, a member of the CASS Academic Divisions, referred to archaeology and ancient writing to explain the ancient Chinese aspiration for a world shaped by cultural and moral virtues.
He cited Chinese culture's influence on European Enlightenment thinkers in the 17th and 18th centuries, calling for similar spirits of self-reflection and mutual learning to inform cultural exchanges aimed at easing today's conflicts.
Hugh Bowden, a professor of ancient history at the Department of Classics at King's College London, said the ancient world still offered ideas on how modern societies could learn from one another.
He highlighted similarities in the ideas of ancient philosophers such as China's Confucius and Greece's Socrates, alongside the Silk Road, which linked China with the rest of Asia, Africa and Europe through trade and culture.
He said antiquity could shed light on the origins of commerce, ethics and ideas that underpin contemporary international relations.
Hamashita Takeshi, director of the Research Department of Japan's Toyo Bunko and a senior research fellow at Sun Yat-sen University's Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities, offered a maritime perspective on the longstanding links between trade, migration and cultural exchange across different seas.
He said Macau had historically provided an important entry point for Western culture into Asia, while its position along sea routes linking the East China Sea and the South China Sea had made it an important meeting point between China and Southeast Asia.
Hamashita urged scholars to revisit maritime history through the interplay of shipping activities and cultural exchange.
Li Cheng, founding director of the Centre on Contemporary China and the World at the University of Hong Kong, shifted the focus to the wider Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.
The region, he said, had long embraced diverse cultural influences, helping early encounters between Chinese and Western societies develop into rich exchanges that benefited both sides.
Li said the Greater Bay Area should continue to prioritise people-centred development while sharing professional expertise to promote joint growth across the Asia-Pacific.
Zheng Yongnian, dean of the School of Public Policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, said he believed the Greater Bay Area had the conditions to support the harmonious coexistence of cultures and provide a platform for equal dialogue.
The region's experience could serve as a reference for shared development elsewhere, he said.
Hong Kong and Macau, which are part of the Greater Bay Area's 11-city cluster, could act as vital bridges linking the Chinese national community with a broader vision of shared futures among neighbouring countries and regions, as well as humanity as a whole.
Jiang Shigong, president of Minzu University of China, said the “one country, two systems” principle was rooted in the logic of coexistence and exchange between different social systems.
Another speaker, Mok Ian-ian, executive vice-president of the Federation of Associations of Cultural Sectors of Macau, highlighted Macau gastronomy and Patua theatre, two nationally recognised forms of intangible cultural heritage, as examples of cultures moving from coexistence to shared creation.
“It’s ordinary people’s food, theatre and everyday stories that best show the world how cultures learn from one another,” she said.
This year's forum has attracted about 300 participants from governments, international organisations and academia in more than 20 countries and regions for around 40 dialogue sessions.
Topics range from the China-led Belt and Road Initiative, closer Sino-Portuguese ties and joint implementation of the Global Civilisation Initiative to global governance of artificial intelligence and efforts to promote shared human values amid technological advances.
The conference, first held last year, is organised by the Macau SAR government, with support from the CASS, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. - China Daily/ANN
