Chinese premier proposes inter-civilization dialogue

Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday proposed extensive dialogue between different civilizations and cultures in the spirit of equality and tolerance so as to avoid conflicts caused by ignorance or prejudice.

"The civilizations of different nations are all fruits of human wisdom and contribution to human progress; they call for mutual respect," Wen said in a speech delivered at Harvard University in Boston, the final leg of his four-day official visit to the United States.

"Conflicts triggered by ignorance or prejudice are sometimes more dreadful than those caused by contradictory interests," he said. "We propose to seek common ground in the spirit of equality and tolerance, and carry on extensive inter-civilization dialogue and closer cultural exchanges."

Wen noted that mankind is confronted with more complicated economic and social problems in the 21st century and the cultural element will have a more important role to play in the century.

"Different nations may speak different languages, but their hearts and feelings are interlinked. Different cultures present manifold features, yet they often share the same rational core elements that can always be passed on by people."

Wen said that mankind is currently in the middle of a period of drastic social change and it would be a wise approach for all countries to carry forward their fine cultural heritages by tracing back their origins, passing on the essentials, learning from one another and breaking new grounds.

"My appeal is that we work together with our wisdom and strength for the progress and development of human civilization," he added. "Our success will do credit to our forbears and bring benefit to our posterity."

In his speech, Wen briefed the audience on China's splendid ancient civilization, its current reforms and opening-up, and its ambitious modernization plan.

"China yesterday was a big ancient country that created a splendid civilization," he said. "China today is a country in reform and opening-up and a rising power dedicated to peace."

"China tomorrow will continue to be a major country that loves peace and has a great deal to look forward to," said Wen, who hoped his speech will increase American young people's understanding of China.

"A deeper mutual understanding is a two-way process," he said. "I hope American young people will turn their eyes to China. I also trust our young people will turn their eyes more to the United States."

China's peaceful rise relies on own efforts for development

Premier Wen stressed that the essence of China's road to peaceful rise lies in relying on its own efforts for development.

"China is a large developing country. It is neither proper nor possible for us to rely on foreign countries for development. We must, and we can only, rely on our own efforts," Wen said.

While opening still wider to the outside world, he said, China must more fully and more consciously depend on its own structural innovation, on constantly expanding the domestic market, on converting the huge savings of the citizens into investment, and on improving the quality of the population and scientific and technological progress to solve the problems of resources and the environment.

This is the essence of China's road to peaceful rise and development, said the Chinese premier, who arrived in the northeast US port city earlier in the day, the last stop of his four-day official visit to the country.

"China today is a country in reform and opening-up and a rising power dedicated to peace," he emphasized. "China tomorrow will continue to be a major country that loves peace and has a great deal to look forward to."

In his speech, Wen expressed confidence that the Chinese government and people can overcome all difficulties and achieve their ambitious modernization goals, under which China will become a medium-developed nation by the mid of the century.

He listed four favorable factors for China to carry out its modernization plan, which include a global trend toward peace and development, vitality of socialism China adheres to, tremendous economic achievements China has achieved, and the nation's rich cultural reserves.

China's development is blessed with "a rare period of strategic opportunities," he said. "We are determined to secure a peaceful international environment and a stable domestic environment in which to concentrate on our own development and, with it, to help promote world peace and development."

Twenty-five years of reform and opening-up has given China a considerable material accumulation and its economy has gained a foothold in the world, he noted.

China's reform and opening-up promotes human rights

Premier Wen said that China's reform and opening-up aims at promoting human rights in China and the two are mutually dependent and reinforcing.

"Reform and opening-up creates conditions for the advancement of human rights, and the latter invigorates the former," Wen said.

"If one separates the two and thinks that China only goes after economic growth and ignores the protection of human rights, such a view does not square with the facts," he said.

"The tremendous wealth created by China in the past quarter of a century has not only enabled our 1.3 billion countrymen to meet their basic needs for food, clothing and shelter, and basically realize a well-off standard of living, but also contributed to world development. China owes all this progress to the policy of reform and opening-up and, in the final analysis, to the freedom-inspired creativity of the Chinese people."

The Chinese premier quoted former US President Franklin Roosevelt as saying that "true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence," and "necessitous men are not free men."

"I am not suggesting that China's human rights situation is impeccable. The Chinese Government has all along been making earnest efforts to correct the malpractices and negative factors of one kind or another in the human rights field. It is extremely important and difficult in China to combine development, reform and stability," Wen said.

"If our friends come to China and see for themselves, they will be able to judge objectively and appreciate the progress made there in human rights and the Chinese Government's hard work in upholding human rights since the beginning of reform and opening-up," he said.

The Chinese premier arrived in Boston on Wednesday morning. Before coming to Boston, he visited New York and Washington. The premier is expected to leave for Canada on Wednesday afternoon to continue his four-nation tour which will also bring him to Mexico and Ethiopia.

(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2003)