Some U.S. politicians have found a new excuse to justify their country's series of damaging moves against China: a clash of civilizations.
The label does not stand up to scrutiny for current China-U.S. relations, neither can it disguise the bullying nature and unilateralism of the U.S. side in hyping up bilateral tensions.
Civilizations are not destined to clash.
With distinctive value and spiritual pursuit, each civilization is rooted in its own soil.
It is foolish to believe that one's race and civilization are superior to others. And it is disastrous to willfully reshape or even replace other civilizations.
History has repeatedly proven that any attempt to resolve differences among civilizations by coercive means will not succeed, but will instead bring disaster to the world.
One of the defining characteristics of Chinese civilization is harmony.
As early as more than 2,000 years ago, Zhang Qian set off from what is now the city of Xi'an as an imperial envoy. Leading a peace delegation, he blazed a route linking the East and the West, which later became the Silk Road.
More than 600 years ago, Zheng He led the world's largest fleet of ships and made seven voyages to the West, taking with him silk, tea and porcelain, rather than a "clash of civilizations."
Through the exchange of the ancient Silk Road, ancient Greek, Roman and Indian civilization entered China one after another and resonated with Chinese civilization.
Seeking goodwill with neighbors and harmony with all nations is the Chinese way of engaging with the world.
A key reason for China's rapid development in recent decades is its willingness to open its door and actively participate in world development.
The so-called "clash of civilizations" and "superiority or inferiority of civilizations" are blindfolded by pride and prejudice, and herald unreasonable hegemony on others.
The intensifying global challenges humanity are facing now require concerted efforts from countries across the world.
The fact is, civilizations interact, not clash, with each other.
Instead of hostility and isolation, cooperation and coexistence are the answers to address global woes.
Oblivion to the fact has led the United States on a dangerous path. It's time for the world's largest economy to shun hegemony and appreciate the wisdom of "harmony without uniformity." Enditem
