Editor's note: On September 10, local time, the first China-Latin America Human Rights Roundtable will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More than 100 experts and scholars from China and 16 Latin American United States countries will discuss the theme of "Diversity of Civilizations and the Choice of Paths for the Realization of Human Rights".
▲On May 10, 2024 local time, the 23rd "Chinese Bridge" World University Student Chinese Competition Brazil Regional Competition kicked off at the University of Brazil in Brazil Brazil. The picture shows the contestants performing a ribbon dragon. Photo by China News Service reporter Lin Chunyin
"The human rights dialogue between China and Latin America is at the right time and at the right time." Ma Zhaoqi, vice president, professor and researcher of the Human Rights Research Center of Northwest University of Political Science and Law, who was invited to attend the meeting, said in an exclusive interview with China News Service's "East-West Question" a few days ago that China and Latin America are thousands of miles apart, and there are similarities and many differences in the choice of paths for the realization of human rights. The dialogue between China and Latin American United States on human rights issues is not only a contemporary presentation of the concept of "harmony but diversity" of Chinese civilization, but also reflects the importance of respecting the diversity of human civilizations and promoting mutual learning among civilizations. The transcript of the interview is summarized below:
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China News Service: China and Latin America are thousands of miles apart, so why can we achieve human rights dialogue? Ma Zhaoqi: On the one hand, the China-LAC human rights dialogue is timely. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the concept of building a China-Latin America community with a shared future. Over the past decade, with the joint efforts of both sides, new achievements have been made in building a China-LAC community with a shared future, and China-LAC relations have entered a new era of equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and benefiting the people. On this basis, it is logical for China and Latin America and the Caribbean to deepen dialogue in various fields and at all levels. Today's world is undergoing major changes unseen in a century, and the balance of power between Western and non-Western countries is undergoing unprecedented changes. In purchasing power parity terms, the BRICS countries accounted for a third of global gross domestic product (GDP), a new record, while the share of the G7 economies fell to 29%. Developing countries have become important stabilizers of the world economy. The reorganization of the world order no longer depends unilaterally on the Western countries, led by United States. As important representatives of emerging markets around the world, China and Latin America need and need to carry out more in-depth dialogue and exchanges. On the other hand, the China-Latin America and the Caribbean human rights dialogue coincides with the situation. Human civilization is created by different races and nationalities in different regions, and in the long history of mankind for thousands of years, different countries and regions have formed their own civilization forms based on their own unique natural environment and historical and cultural soil. There are more than 2,500 ethnic groups in the world today, distributed in more than 200 countries and regions, and different ethnic groups and different countries have their own development processes and have contributed to different aspects of the development of human civilization to varying degrees. Some countries portray the so-called cultural differences as a "clash of civilizations", and its background is the traditional "Western cultural superiority theory"; Some countries are accustomed to claiming to be "human rights teachers" and pointing fingers at the human rights situation in some countries, including China and some Latin American countries, but the essence of this is still ideological bias. However, the diversity of civilizations cannot be dissolved, and the international landscape is moving in the direction of improving global governance and promoting the democratization of international relations. The dialogue between China and Latin American United States on human rights issues is not only a contemporary presentation of the concept of "harmony but diversity" of Chinese civilization, but also reflects the importance of respecting the diversity of human civilizations and promoting mutual learning among civilizations.
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China News Service: You mentioned the traditional Confucian concept of "harmony without diversity", what is its significance for today's international and people-to-people exchanges? Ma Zhaoqi: "Harmony" culture is the core of traditional Chinese culture, and the "harmony" that Chinese have always pursued is not the "harmony" of following the flow and interdependence, but the "harmony" of diversity on the basis of respecting differences, which also emphasizes the core position of the concept of "harmony and difference" in traditional culture. The traditional Chinese concept of "harmony and difference" originated from the debate of "harmony" and "sameness" more than 2,800 years ago, and the main representatives were Shi Bo and Yan Ying, on the basis of which Confucius formally put forward the concept of "harmony but difference". According to the Chinese Language, the Western Weekend thinker Shi Bo put forward the proposition that "harmony with real creatures will not be continued"; According to the "Zuo Biography", Yan Ying once used the soup as a metaphor to advise Qi Jinggong, advocating that there should be different opinions and propositions between the monarch and the minister, and that only by inspiring, coordinating and accepting each other can the country be politically harmonious and prosperous. Confucius proposed that "gentlemen are harmonious but different, villains are the same but not harmonious", and "harmony but difference" has become one of the core propositions of Confucianism. In later generations, the concept of "harmony without difference" has been widely used in the practice of governing the country and in the handling of foreign relations, and its connotation is constantly changing with the changes in the objective environment and subjective needs of society. From the perspective of international exchanges, the concept of "harmony without difference" can be summarized as four aspects: the spirit of harmony, contradictory thinking, inclusive attitude, and emphasizing justice over profit. The first is the spirit of Shanghe. The value orientation of the concept of "harmony and difference" is "harmony", and the path to achieve the goal of "harmony" lies in "difference". The spirit of "harmony" is not limited to the Spring and Autumn Period and Confucianism, but has played an important role in the traditional Chinese culture. Mozi's "love", Laozi's "no dispute", and Zhuangzi's "unity of heaven and man" are ultimately the goal of "harmony". In the course of history since then, "harmony" has gradually expanded into new contents and meanings such as neutralization, peace and harmony, and has become an important symbol of China's participation in international exchanges. The second is ambivalent thinking. Since Shi Bo, "harmony and difference" has gradually embodied a philosophical concept and way of thinking of unity of opposites. The first is to recognize "harmony" and identify with the pluralistic state, and even regard "difference" as a necessary prerequisite for "harmony"; The second is to recognize that pluralism is not a pluralism that is opposite, isolated or completely homogeneous, but advocates mutual exchange, promotion and transformation in pluralistic interaction; Third, it is necessary to pursue stability and development in terms of practical goals, that is, to strive to achieve the goal and orientation of "harmony" under "different" objective conditions. Again, it's an inclusive attitude. Confucius famously said, "Do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you", emphasizing that we should treat others with our own behavior as a reference, rather than ignoring the feelings of others and forcibly promoting our own ideas and understandings. Respect for the feelings and behaviors of others is not only the most direct and vivid embodiment of the individual's right to make their own choices in China's excellent traditional culture represented by Confucianism, but also has won the consensus of mankind of different races, skin colors, nationalities and origins, including the vast number of Latin American people, and has become the "golden rule" written into the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This inclusive attitude is also deeply reflected in diplomatic practice, which is reflected on the one hand, China's adherence to its own characteristics, while actively drawing on the strengths of other countries and civilizations, and on the other hand, China's respect for and acceptance of the differences of different countries and civilizations, and the promotion of harmonious coexistence among the world's diverse civilizations. Finally, it is important to value righteousness over profit. From the debate of "harmony" and "sameness" to the proposition and development of the concept of "harmony without difference", it is a process of continuous personification and practice. Among them, the essence of moral character is the correct concept of righteousness and interests that emphasizes righteousness over profit. Correctly treating and handling the relationship between "righteousness" and "benefit" and attaching importance to morality, order, and responsibility is an important part of China's excellent traditional culture and a distinctive feature of China's diplomacy. The gentleman's personality is also a noble quality pursued by a political party, society and country, and the correct concept of justice and benefit put forward and advocated by China has been widely recognized by the international community, proving that it is in line with the trend of the times.
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China News Service: How can China and Latin America uphold the diversity of civilizations in the process of modernization and choose a path that suits them to the realization of human rights? Ma Zhaoqi: First, we should promote mutual learning among civilizations on the basis of seeking common ground while reserving differences and "harmony while diversity", promote exchanges and cooperation among civilizations, and make diversity a source of creativity and development vitality in human society. Looking back on history, the Chinese civilization has successively borrowed and absorbed the beneficial elements of South Asian civilization, Central Asian and West Asian civilization, and European civilization, and carried out localized transformation to form new elements of civilization. Today, the rise of emerging countries represented by China and some United States Latin American countries and changes in the international pattern prove that the path of modernization is an open process: not only Western, but also non-Western; Not only in Asia, but also in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. The exploration and practice of the path of modernization by various countries and regions in the process of opening up have proved that it is necessary to safeguard the diversity of world civilizations and respect the civilizations of all countries and nationalities. Taking the system of democracy and human rights protection as an example, the path to the realization of democracy and human rights and the design of the system in various countries, which grew up in the practical exploration and wisdom creation of the people of various countries, are all different manifestations of democracy and human rights. All countries in the world need to recognize democracy and human rights as common human values, while acknowledging the diversity and differences in the forms of democracy and human rights, and strengthen exchanges and mutual learning on this basis. This is one. The second is to promote the convergence and integration of various forms of civilization through mutual learning among civilizations, and to elevate to new diversity at a higher level, so as to achieve the sustainable development of human society. In order to realize mutual learning among civilizations, the first thing is to change the status quo of Western-centrism controlling the right to speak, so that the civilizations of different countries and nations in the world have equal right to speak. Looking back on history, Chinese civilization had an important influence on the European Enlightenment, and Enlightenment thinkers such as Leibniz, Voltaire, and Rousseau all drew ideological wisdom from Chinese civilization. The Chinese civilization has long lived in harmony with various civilizations such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, and has drawn nourishment from them. This is not only in line with the objective reality of the diversity of human civilization and the diversity of modernization paths, but also conducive to the development and prosperity of world civilization under global awareness. Therefore, it is necessary to respect the diversity of forms and systems of civilization in the world, advocate dialogue among civilizations, protect the cultural individuality of all ethnic groups, and safeguard cultural sovereignty. Finally, in today's increasingly globalized world, it is no longer possible to form a purely independent form of civilization, but to form a pluralistic coexistence of civilizations under mutual influence. Chinese civilization is a form of civilization that promotes world peace and development and upholds the diversity of human civilization. China has always believed that all countries have the right to choose their own path of democracy and human rights development, and is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, learn from each other and jointly promote the sustainable development of mankind with all countries and civilizations in the world, and ultimately realize the "beauty of each country, the beauty of the people, the beauty of the United States, and the unity of the world".
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Established on January 19, 2013, Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Chinese University of China (Renmin University Chongyang) is the main funding project donated by Chongyang Investment to Chinese University and set up an education fund for operation.
As a new type of think tank with Chinese characteristics, Chongyang has hired dozens of former politicians, bankers, and well-known scholars from around the world as senior researchers, aiming to pay attention to reality, advise the country, and serve the people. At present, the Chongyang National People's Congress has 7 departments and 4 operation and management centers (the Center for Ecological Finance, the Center for Global Governance, the Center for China-US People-to-People Exchange, and the China-Russia Center for People-to-People Exchange). In recent years, the Chongyang National People's Congress has been highly recognized at home and abroad in the fields of financial development, global governance, major-country relations, and macroeconomic policy.