In a world where ancient civilizations meet modern globalization, former Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy has voiced strong support for China’s Global Civilization Initiative (GCI). Fahmy, speaking in an exclusive interview, highlighted the importance of cultural inclusivity and mutual respect among nations, especially those with rich historical heritages like Egypt and China.
“We live in a well-connected world, which means we need to live together, not try to live as identical civilizations with identical cultures,” Fahmy said. “The basic concept of tolerance, of a shared future, of respecting each other’s civilizations is something that I’m very happy to see focused on in the Chinese initiative.”
The GCI, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasizes promoting inclusiveness among civilizations and fostering global cooperation. Fahmy contrasted this approach with what he perceives as a Western concept of development that assumes its model is universally applicable.
“I don’t want to exclude the Western concept for development, but my criticism of that concept is that it assumes that its concept is necessarily the best one and the one that we all need to emulate,” Fahmy explained. “We need to take the best out of each of our civilizations and respect each other. It’s not a zero-sum game of one versus the other.”
Investing in Youth and Cultural Exchanges
Fahmy underscored the vital role of youth and education in promoting mutual understanding between nations. He called for increased cultural exchanges, particularly among young people, to build a foundation for sustained development.
“It’s not enough for government officials to meet, to have agreements, to develop projects. If you really want to invest in sustained development, you need to have a better understanding of each other’s communities,” he stated.
Sharing his efforts to foster connections between Egyptian and Chinese students, Fahmy highlighted visits and academic exchanges that have enriched both cultures.
“At the American University in Cairo, where I created a school for global affairs, I made the point that global affairs is not about the West alone. It’s about the whole world,” he said. “Every January, we would invite students from Chinese universities to come and visit our university, to come and visit Egypt.”
Looking Towards a Shared Future
Reflecting on his experiences in China, Fahmy expressed admiration for the genuine interest Chinese students have in understanding other cultures.
“When I spoke at Peking University, I was surprised by the mixture of students. The majority were Chinese, but I found a very large number of African students in particular,” he recalled. “The Chinese students actually asked me what, as an Egyptian, do I think of China? What would I want from China as an Egyptian?”
He praised this curiosity as a reflection of the GCI’s ethos being embraced by the people, not just the government.
“It’s a reflection that your initiative on civilization and development is not only a government posture, but it’s actually something that’s being embraced by your people,” Fahmy noted. “And that is something that is extremely impressive.”
Fahmy concluded by emphasizing the importance of youth engagement in shaping the future of international relations.
“I’ve been trying to push a lot of Egyptians to visit China. The businesspeople have already started—they’ve gone to your industrial sectors—but I’m also trying to push youth to do that, because that’s really where I think the future is,” he said.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
