Bridging Civilizations Through Dialogue

On June 20， more than130 representativesfrom the membercountries ofthe Shanghai CooperationOrganization （SCO） attendedthe Inter-Civilizational Dialogueamong SCO Countries 2024， heldin Astana， capital of Kazakhstan.At the event， the attendeesexchanged views on a widerange of topics under the theme“Fostering Inter-CivilizationalDialogue and Cooperation amongSCO Countries and Promotingthe Development and Progress ofHuman Civilization.”

Yu Yunquan， vice presidentof China InternationalCommunications Group （CICG），said in his speech that SCOcountries should uphold theShanghai Spirit and respect thediversity of the SCO family ininter-civilizational dialogue，carry forward the tradition offostering friendship and promotingmutual learning in the region， andenrich the fruits of the GlobalCivilization Initiative with a globalperspective. Yu added that theSCO， as a crucial and constructiveforce in international andregional affairs， has championedstability， development， justice，and people’s wellbeing throughcollective， united， and collaborativeefforts. Yu also stated that thesignificant theoretical and practicalexploration of the SCO has helpedadvance modernization and build aglobal community of shared future，which has valuable implications forthe international community.

Sohail Khan， deputysecretary-general of the SCO，commented that the SCO hasbq/Ss9ldZmZYMMil3J7oVRiysr+6KYuyC4vtqHKfpf4A=een committed to promotingmutual understanding betweenpeoples， developing and enrichingdiverse cultures， and inheritingfolk traditions among themember countries. He added thatpublic diplomacy， as one of thecooperation areas among the SCOcountries， has served as a bridge toenhancing mutual understandingof civilizations， histories， andtraditions while forging strongrelations among membercountries.

Aidyn Kapashev， deputychairman of the CultureCommittee of the Ministry ofCulture and Information ofKazakhstan， talked about howattendees engaged in in-depthdiscussions on the contributionsof the SCO countries to thedevelopment of world civilizations，exploring ways to inherit andpreserve spiritual values andcultural heritage and deepencultural cooperation.

This event featured threesub-forums focusing onthink tanks， cultural heritagepreservation， and youth，respectively， with topics including“Future Orientation of Humanity：Condensing the Wisdom of theSCO Countries，” “SafeguardingCultural Roots and PromotingExchanges and Mutual Learningamong Civilizations，” and “SCO’sFuture： Raising the Sail of Youth.”

Attendees agreed that theInter-Civilizational Dialogueamong SCO Countries 2024served as a vital platform forinter-civilizational exchange andmutual learning among the SCOcountries， offering a favorableopportunity for these countries toprogress together while advancingthe Global Civilization Initiative.Additionally， the event created apositive atmosphere for the SCOSummit in Astana.

The event was directed byChina’s State Council InformationOffice and the SCO Secretariat，sponsored by CICG and the“Roza Otunbayeva Initiative”International Public Foundation，and organized by the CICGCenter for Europe and Asia（China Pictorial Publications）， theAcademy of Contemporary Chinaand World Studies， the Center forChinese Studies in Kazakhstan，the Chinese ModernizationResearch Center （Kazakhstan），and the Management Committeeof China-SCO Local Economicand Trade CooperationDemonstration Area.