Significance of Global Civilization Initiative to world stability

[Photo by Shi Yu/China Daily]

By Shaojie Liu

The multiplicity of wars and armed conflicts in the continent of Africa and the world in general, coupled with the diverse security threats and challenges has refocused international policy and academic attention on the peace-security-development nexus. A particular area of concern is what role China's Global Civilization Initiative can play in conflict stabilization, conflict management and winning the peace in transition societies in post-Cold War Africa.

It is worth saying that violence and conflict are "crisis multiplier" that has profound implications for global peace and stability. Nevertheless, I am confident that through the introduction of the Global Civilization Initiative, China, which does not seek to exploit or control other countries, or plays any role in inciting conflicts, intends to move African nations and the people of the world in general from a culture of violence and conflict to a culture of peace. This is because after the end of the Cold War, the world including African nations entered an era of high globalization, but it has not really experienced peace.

In other parts of the world, the practice of distinguishing between friends and foes in the name of "values" and wooing one faction while fighting against another faction casts a huge shadow on world peace and development. Also, without true equality and inclusion among civilizations, the process of peace and development will always be at risk of being interrupted. There have been too numerous tragedies in this regard, both historical and current.

Meanwhile, while conflicts and wars are happening in Africa and other parts of the world, the Chinese government has made productive efforts as a major responsible nation to champion political settlement of crises, resolve international and Africa hot spot issues, facilitate peace talks and de-escalate tension in the African region through its collaboration with African Union and United Nations. Actually, in the context of multilateral institutions or in the case of cooperating with the African Union, China has emphasized and nurtured its ties with member nations and believes that its ties should mirror greater multi-polarity and globalization without giving a monopoly to some vested interest.

China has also stated that it will promote development, win-win collaboration, harmony, fairness, and empathy between among civilization, rather than external expansion and plundering. China through the Global Civilization Initiative intends to follow these principles as the initiative challenged the international community especially African nations to finally create a stable, healthy world and continent where resources are equally shared, diverse civilization respected and where the world especially African nation come to know what it feels like to be secure and live in peace with different civilization.

These are the actual steps that China through the Global Civilization Initiative will take to build a community with shared future for humankind. What has occurred demonstrate that the vision of the community with shared future for humankind practice under the Global Civilization Initiative will become a banner that guides the trend of the times and human advancement, and a source of certainty for lasting peace and shared prosperity for Africa and the world in general. In this sense, the Global Civilization Initiative is an extension and complement to the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, and together these initiatives form the main components of a human community with shared future that will constantly inject stability, peace, prosperity, and development, and bring novel hope to the various African nations and the world in general where turbulence, war and conflict thrive.

Although Africa nations and the world in general situations still contains some harsh factors, nevertheless, African nations and the world in general do not need hated, division, war or conflict; the African people or the people of the world want to live together in peace and harmony. Power politics and hegemony are a recipe for global instability, and do the biggest damage to global peace. Through the Global Civilization Initiative in collaboration with the world this might change. This is because the Chinese government follows a new vision of common comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable secure world where peace reigns supreme.

Therefore, through the Global Civilization Initiative, China does not want a world where the wealthy stay wealthy and the poor stay poor. Efforts should be stepped up in implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development coupled with the African Union Agenda 2063, the legitimate right to development of all African nations and nations of the world in general should be effectively protected, and assistance should be extended to underdeveloped regions.

A holistic approach is required to address both symptoms and root causes and remove the breeding ground of conflict. Under the Global Civilization Initiative that is in line with UN SDGs and African Union Agenda 2063, China intends to cooperate with the world to reject the attempts to politicize, weaponize and draw ideological lines in the cooperation on trade, science and technology. If security is to be firmly established and last, folks in all nations including African nations should get to lead a better life. The Chinese government through the Global Civilization Initiative intends to play a vital role commensurate with its position in the realization that there can be no peace and prosperity for China without peace and prosperity for the world.

The author is from the Institute of African Studies, Zhejiang Normal University.