From December 17th to 18th, 2019, the 8th China-Arab Relations Forum and China-Arab Civilization Dialogue Forum was held in Rabat, the capital of Morocco.
Zhai Jun, the head of the Chinese delegation, special envoy of the Chinese government to the Middle East; Ansari, the head of the Arab delegation, director of the Asian Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Overseas Diaspora of Morocco, and Su Adai, director of the Cultural Department of the Arab League attended the meeting. About 80 representatives, experts and scholars from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Information Office of the State Council, the National Religious Affairs Bureau, well-known academic research institutions, and 17 Arab countries and the League of Arab States attended the forum.
Zhai Jun attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. Zhai Jun said that Chinese civilization and Arab civilization are treasures of human civilization, and the ancient Silk Road has witnessed a long history of exchange and mutual learning between the two civilizations. The friendly exchanges between China and Arab countries have not only promoted the economic and cultural development of each other, but also promoted the exchanges and collisions between Eastern and Western civilizations, and injected a lasting impetus into the progress of the entire human society.
Special Envoy Zhai Jun also mentioned in his speech the contribution made by CARC in jointly building the Belt and Road, building a community of shared future for mankind, and strengthening the exchange of governance experience between China and Arab countries.
The seminar lasted for two days. Representatives from both sides held in-depth discussions on topics such as “Using Soft Power Diplomacy to Promote a Culture of Peace”, “The Role of Sustainable Development in Promoting a Culture of Peace”, “Promoting Cultural Diversity”, Using Traditional and Modern Means of Communication Against Terrorist Violence and Extreme Ideology Promoting Dialogue among Civilizations with Cultural Innovation Industry, etc. Wang Guangda, Secretary-General and Executive Director of CARC and Associate Professor Chen Yueyang spoke on the topics of “Using Soft Power Diplomacy to Promote a Culture of Peace” and Using Traditional and Modern Means of Communication against Terrorist Violence and Extreme Ideology.
Professor Wang Guangda believes that advancing soft power diplomacy and promoting a culture of peace are co-existing, interdependent, and mutually reinforcing relationships. Peace culture can only be promoted and realized by soft power, and the development of soft power also depends on the culture of peace. The concept of a Culture of Peace has been in place in Côte d'Ivoire for the first time in 30 years. The United Nations has provided the definition, guiding principles, specific recommendations on how to build a Culture of Peace. It can be said that the culture of peace is the common ground and the greatest common divisor of the traditional cultures of China and Arab countries. From a semiotic point of view, whether it is Tai Chi in China or the Arab Crescent Moon, is different from the cross in the West for expanding. Unilateralism and bullying are not culture of peace. Soft power diplomacy wins support, and the culture of peace is a universal pursuit of mankind.
Associate Professor Chen Yueyang believes that the age of citizens in Arab countries is generally ultra-young, and the phenomenon of Youth Expansion is particularly prominent. In the context of rising non-traditional security factors, youth issues are easily linked to security issues. Due to the lack of knowledge and experience, young people are easily tempted by the so-called ideals and fairness proclaimed by extremism, and become the unstable factors of the country and the region. Therefore, the youth factor in depolarized governance should be one of the important concerns of governments.
Participants agreed that in the context of the profound changes in the current international and regional situations, China and Arab countries must adhere to mutual respect and treat each other as equals, jointly oppose terrorism and extremism, adhere to the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and strengthen the exchange of governance experience to build a community of shared future for mankind.