Sharing Asia

by Yu Longyu

Asia is an important cradle of world civilization. Chinese civilization， Indian civilization， Babylonian civilization and many other ancient civilizations all originated and bloomed on the continent. Prior to modern times， Eastern civilization was the mainstream of the world. With the invasion of Western colonists， most parts of Asia became colonies or semi-colonies， and Eastern civilization became dependent on Western civilization.

The modernization of Asian civilizations started with the struggle against imperialism and colonialism. The Bandung Conference in 1955 was an important milestone. It witnessed the introduction of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence， which are still vibrant today.

In 2015 as Asia was enjoying a rapid economic development， the annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia was held under the theme of “Asias New Future： Towards a Community of Common Destiny.” In his speech at the conference， Chinese President Xi Jinping said： “This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the World Anti-Fascist War， the victory of the Chinese Peoples War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the founding of the United Nations. This year is also the 60th anniversary of the Bandung Conference and will witness the completion of the ASEAN Community. As such， it is an important year to be commemorated as well as a historic juncture to reflect on the past and look to the future.”

In mid-May 2019， the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations（CDAC） was held in Beijing and watched by the world. At its opening ceremony， President Xi presented a four-point proposal to build an open and better-connected Asia featuring peace， stability and common prosperity： First， we need to respect each other and treat each other as equals； Second， we need to uphold the beauty of each civilization and the diversity of civilizations in the world； Third， we need to stay open and inclusive and draw on each others strengths； Fourth， we need to advance with the times and explore new ground in development.

President Xis speech at the opening ceremony of CDAC drew a blueprint for building an Asian community with a shared future. Just as he said， CDAC created a new platform for civilizations in Asia and beyond to engage in dialogue and exchange on an equal footing to facilitate mutual learning. The new CDAC platform will surely promote construction of an Asian community with a shared future as well as a community with a shared future for humanity in a big way.