The Chinese culture is helping to realize world peace, said Chinese and foreign experts at an academic forum Saturday.

Over 120 experts from China, the Republic of Korea and the United States attended the Chinese Culture and World Peace International Forum held in Beijing Saturday. They discussed the relations between world peace and the Chinese culture and cultural conflicts among nations and religions.

"The Chinese comprehensive and long-standing culture is based on the ideology of peace, which is the basis of fostering peace," said Tan Songlin, director of the China Association for the Advancement of International Friendship.

"I found that China has been playing an irreplaceable role in pushing world peace. This is not only because China is the most populous country and has vast territory, but also because the Chinese culture endows people with humane and ethical relationships, which is the basis of building a stable and peaceful society," said Jacques Marion, vice president of the International Educational Foundation.

The experts also discussed the role of culture in international and regional conflicts in the 21st century. They agreed that the root of conflicts lies in the differences among world outlook and cultural heritage. A worldwide "culture of peace" should be set up to avoid conflicts, not solely by political or military means.

The forum was jointly held by the China Association for the Advancement of International Friendship and the International Educational Foundation.

(Xinhua News Agency September 28, 2003)