Interview: Dialogue of civilizations can avoid zero-sum game: expert

BEIRUT, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Dialogue among civilizations is an intellectual notion that avoids "zero-sum game" and leads to a better world of common good and shared future, a Lebanese expert has said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Mahmoud Raya, a China observer in Lebanon, lauded the upcoming Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations scheduled for May in Beijing, China.

Under the theme of "exchanges and mutual learning among Asian civilizations and a community with a shared future," the conference is expected to host more than 2,000 government officials and representatives of various circles from 47 Asian countries and other countries outside the region.

Raya pointed out that the dialogue of civilizations comes as an intellectual and civilized alternative to ideas based on the "clash of civilizations" which stems from the concept of the "zero-sum game."

A zero-sum game gives the winner everything and deprives the others of everything. Raya said such a game's winner must always be the global dominant power, and winning comes with brutality and aggression.

"We are proposing a very different concept today, that of common profit, understanding, dialogue, consensus and mutual respect, leading to a better world" based on the principle of building a community with a shared future for mankind proposed by China, he noted.

Raya stressed that the upcoming conference is a pioneering and brilliant idea, through which the Chinese leadership emphasizes the approach that governs its worldview -- comprising a vision that is based on dialogue, the search for common ideas and the pursuit of bridging differences through mutual understanding and mutual benefits.

Asia is the world's largest continent in terms of size and population. With its diverse culture, it is the cradle of most ancient civilizations, where the most important events governing the course of mankind for tens of centuries took place, Raya said.

The continent is also the birthplace of the most prominent prophets, wise men, intellectuals and reformers in history, he added.

"Hence, the dialogue that brings together its people is a dialogue between the leaders of thought and those of wisdom, understanding and awareness," he said.

Raya noted the result of the dialogue carries benefits "to all human beings without exception ... because it is diverse in its present and promising in its future."

"By advocating for this dialogue, China offers a great opportunity for people by securing for them a meeting space and a program rich in ideas that are worth to be discussed," Raya said, adding that the conference will spread hope for peace based on knowledge, wisdom and communication, and leave out estrangement, chaos and hegemony.