Ecological Civilization—The Chinese Path
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the basic policy that underpins our endeavors to develop socialism with Chinese
characteristics.
In 2015, General Secretary Xi initiated the vision of “a community with a shared
future for mankind” in his speech at the UN General Assembly. “In today’s world,
all countries are interdependent and share a common future. We should renew our
commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
build a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation, and create
a community with a shared future for mankind.” This is the “Chinese approach” to
handling international relations.
History has proved that man and nature share a common future. The industrial
civilization, in which man dominates nature, leads to global ecological crisis. We
should establish and implement the philosophy of harmony between man and nature
because they essentially exist in a community of cooperative and harmonious coexistence. Man lives on nature and develops by exploiting and utilizing it; man also
changes nature and creates a new natural world. The normal state, essence and law of
man-nature relationship is harmony, and the direction or goal of this relationship is
common survival, common prosperity and common evolution. This is the foundation
for the vision of “community with a shared future for mankind.”
Harmony between man and nature is our vision and the direction and goal of our
endeavors. On the level of state relations, conflict and confrontation, disputes and
even wars have seriously damaged the interests of all parties. The development of
modern warfare, especially nuclear war, may even lead to the extermination of the
human race.
“Harmony” is the quintessence of Chinese culture. China believes in “harmony
without uniformity.” In Chinese philosophy, as long as we uphold the vision of
“community with a shared future,” the China-US trade war can be appropriately
resolved, so can all disputes and clashes in the world, big or small. “I sincerely hope
that the international community will make concerted effort to make peace, relate to
each other in cooperation rather than confrontation; beat swords into plowshares and
build a community of common destiny of all mankind,” said General Secretary Xi.
In face of various challenges, only by upholding man-nature harmony and a common
human community will we be able to usher in a new century for China and a new
era for humankind. This is the best “Chinese plan” for the world.
2. Adhering to “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”
On August 15, 2005, Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial
Committee, inspected the Yucun Village in Anji County, Zhejiang, where he affirmed
the shutting down of quarries and cement plants in the village for environmental
protection. He told the officials, “Don’t repeat the old path. Don’t cling to the old
development mode. You said you were determined to shut down some mines. This
is a wise move. We used to say that we want lucid waters and lush mountains as well
as economic benefits, but the waters and mountains can bring economic benefits
themselves. They are invaluable assets in their own right.” The General Secretary
proposed a new development concept and path for China. Guided by it, we have
523
the basic policy that underpins our endeavors to develop socialism with Chinese
characteristics.
In 2015, General Secretary Xi initiated the vision of “a community with a shared
future for mankind” in his speech at the UN General Assembly. “In today’s world,
all countries are interdependent and share a common future. We should renew our
commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations,
build a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation, and create
a community with a shared future for mankind.” This is the “Chinese approach” to
handling international relations.
History has proved that man and nature share a common future. The industrial
civilization, in which man dominates nature, leads to global ecological crisis. We
should establish and implement the philosophy of harmony between man and nature
because they essentially exist in a community of cooperative and harmonious coexistence. Man lives on nature and develops by exploiting and utilizing it; man also
changes nature and creates a new natural world. The normal state, essence and law of
man-nature relationship is harmony, and the direction or goal of this relationship is
common survival, common prosperity and common evolution. This is the foundation
for the vision of “community with a shared future for mankind.”
Harmony between man and nature is our vision and the direction and goal of our
endeavors. On the level of state relations, conflict and confrontation, disputes and
even wars have seriously damaged the interests of all parties. The development of
modern warfare, especially nuclear war, may even lead to the extermination of the
human race.
“Harmony” is the quintessence of Chinese culture. China believes in “harmony
without uniformity.” In Chinese philosophy, as long as we uphold the vision of
“community with a shared future,” the China-US trade war can be appropriately
resolved, so can all disputes and clashes in the world, big or small. “I sincerely hope
that the international community will make concerted effort to make peace, relate to
each other in cooperation rather than confrontation; beat swords into plowshares and
build a community of common destiny of all mankind,” said General Secretary Xi.
In face of various challenges, only by upholding man-nature harmony and a common
human community will we be able to usher in a new century for China and a new
era for humankind. This is the best “Chinese plan” for the world.
2. Adhering to “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”
On August 15, 2005, Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial
Committee, inspected the Yucun Village in Anji County, Zhejiang, where he affirmed
the shutting down of quarries and cement plants in the village for environmental
protection. He told the officials, “Don’t repeat the old path. Don’t cling to the old
development mode. You said you were determined to shut down some mines. This
is a wise move. We used to say that we want lucid waters and lush mountains as well
as economic benefits, but the waters and mountains can bring economic benefits
themselves. They are invaluable assets in their own right.” The General Secretary
proposed a new development concept and path for China. Guided by it, we have