BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Senior Communist Party of China (CPC) official Cai Qi on Thursday called for greater efforts to promote dialogue and cooperation among global civilizations, as he attended the opening of the Global Civilizations Dialogue Ministerial Meeting in Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the meeting, which was read out at the opening ceremony by Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.
In his keynote speech, Cai, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, said the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi more than two years ago has received enthusiastic responses and positive echoes from the international community.
The initiative, which upholds the core principle of seeking common ground while reserving differences, is deeply rooted in China's fine traditional culture and resonates with cultural values shared by many other nations, Cai said.
Noting that the path to global peace and development remains long and challenging, Cai called for joint efforts to explore diverse development models, strengthen cultural inheritance and innovation, advance cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and build a diverse and multi-dimensional global network for dialogue and cooperation among civilizations.
Themed "Safeguarding Diversity of Human Civilizations for World Peace and Development," the meeting is co-hosted by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the International Department of the CPC Central Committee.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent his message of congratulations to the event, which has attracted over 600 guests from about 140 countries and regions.
Former heads of state and government from Indonesia, Namibia, Japan and Belgium delivered speeches at the opening ceremony.
