Amid profound changes unseen in a century, China has proposed a series of international initiatives for the sake of global common good, such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative, and building a human community with a shard future. To investigate the philosophical implications behind these initiatives from diverse perspectives, CSST recently interviewed Elena Avramidou, executive director of the Hellenic Sinology Center and steering committee member of UNESCO Chair at Ionian University in Greece, and Wang Keping, a research fellow from the Institute of Philosophy at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Seeking common development

“I think all these initiatives are connected with the Chinese way of thinking and China’s goals. They assure China’s global engagement, the joint efforts for peace, stability, security, and development in the world; the peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue; and the goals for a better life through sustainable development, prosperity, and stronger, greener, and healthier global development,” Avramidou told CSST.

She added that the means to achieve these common goals include poverty alleviation, ensuring food security, improving industrial production, advancing the digital economy, promoting multilateralism, and providing more development resources to developing countries, in addition to respecting the diversity of civilizations and common values of humanity, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness, and encouraging people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.

Wang commented that these initiatives are forward-looking and cosmopolitan. They form the core elements of contemporary Chinese discourse and provide pivotal impetus for advancing international cooperation, charting potential paths for common development worldwide.

Interpreting the initiative of building a human community with a shared future, Wang said that the “human community” possesses grand universality and inclusivity, transcending previous community concepts that are ideological and regional, such as the European Economic Community. The notion of a “shared future” pertains to the destiny, or the future existence, continuation, and development, of humanity.

“Certainly, ‘shared future’ not only represents a philosophy of common development, but also reflects a vision for international cooperation. To materialize these, a peaceful environment, mutual collaboration, persistent efforts, and solid advancements are essential,” Wang said. “Upholding the moral tradition of ‘suiting the action to the word,’ Chinese leaders are actively organizing related parties to do practical work, playing a tangible exemplary role.”

‘Tianxia’ outlook

In Avramidou’s view, the initiatives reflect China’s concern for the future of humanity, given the multiple risks and challenges the international community is confronted with: conflicts, terrorism, pollution, and pandemics. They are linked to China’s self-definition as a responsible major country and are deeply rooted in Chinese philosophy, especially, connected with the ancient concept of “tianxia” [“all under Heaven”], and the need for a holistic approach.

Wang echoed Avramidou’s view, saying that these initiatives embody the concept of tianxia, as well as the consciousness of seeking harmony in diversity in traditional Chinese thought.

According to Wang, the notion of tianxia upheld by the ancient Chinese can be traced back to the 11th century BCE. Politically, it refers to state governance or power, while in the cultural sense, it denotes a moral or ethical belief. Today, the traditional tianxia concept has been re-examined in the context of globalization, gaining popularity in political culture and extending to global culture. When translated in contemporary terms, the concept is also indicative of cosmopolitanism, connotating the dynamism of interactive cooperation for joint development among nations worldwide and the ideal of harmonious coexistence among diverse civilizations.

“Furthermore, we can see under these initiatives China’s traditional views on social harmony, avoidance of extremes, interdependence, pragmatism, security and stability, the tendency to minimize frictions, the relation between humans and nature, and the Confucian humanism with its stress on wellbeing and education,” Avramidou said. “These traditional Chinese ideas, strictly connected with Chinese philosophy, are expressed with the appeal to build a human community with a shared future.”

“Indeed, as we live in a global village, it is needed a common effort by all members of the global community to address today’s complex situation. We are in the same boat, so we should get rid of the zero-sum game mindset. Big countries who favor their economic and geopolitical interests should abandon their selfish policies and work all together to build a peaceful, open, inclusive, and prosperous world. This very human approach is exactly expressed with China’s call to build a human community with a shared future,” Avramidou concluded.