BEIJING, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday warned against resolving differences among cultures through compulsory means, saying it is doomed to fail.
History has repeatedly proved that any move that aims to resolve differences among cultures is doomed to fail and wreak havoc on civilizations, Xi said at the opening of an international meeting about ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius.
Xi delivered a keynote speech at the International Conference in Commemorating the 2565th anniversary of Confucius and the 5th Congress of the International Confucian Association, which opened on Wednesday at the Great Hall of the People.
Xi called for respect for diversity of cultures, quoting ancient Chinese thinker Mencius, who said that it is an objective fact that all things are different from one another.
The culture of every country and nation is rooted in the soil of the country and nation itself, and has its own elements and advantages, Xi said, calling for exchanges and sharing rather than repulsion and replacement.
Stressing the values of diversified human cultures, Xi called for the rational handling of differences between the culture of one's own country and others, and the recognition of the fact that every culture is unique.
Xi called on people to seek common ground while reserving differences, and urged them not to attack or disparage other cultures.
"Don't feel displeased or make every endeavor to transform, assimilate or replace other cultures when others' cultures are different from your own," Xi said.