The world has a lot to learn from China’s Global Civilization Initiative – Paul Frimpong

Paul Frimpong, the Executive Director of the Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory (ACCPA), has said that the world will greatly benefit if there are more open and frank conversations on the key pillars outlined in China’s Global Civilization Initiative.

In 2021, China introduced the Global Development Initiative and followed it up in 2022 with the Global Security Initiative. In 2023, China announced yet another global initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative.

He made these remarks during the Public Forum on China’s Global Civilization Initiative held in Accra by his outfit, ACCPA, in partnership with the Confucius Institute at the University of Ghana.

The forum’s central theme was China’s new proposal called the Global Civilization Initiative, which outlines key pillars on how we can build a harmonious and peaceful world without antagonism and confrontations, as we have seen in recent times.

The forum attracted some 200 participants and key policy experts from both the public and private sectors and the diplomatic community, who discussed and shared perspectives on China’s Global Civilization Initiative and how that could be leveraged to build peace, stability, and prosperity in our world today.

The forum opened with insightful keynote speeches delivered by H.E. Ambassador Anani Demuyakor, Former Ghana’s Ambassador to China, Danzhu Lou, the Director of Political Affairs at the Chinese Embassy in Ghana; Prof. Gabriel Nii Noi Dowuona, Professor at the University of Ghana, and Professor Jimin Wang, the Chinese Director at the Confucius Institute of the University of Ghana.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Forum, Paul Frimpong, the Executive Director of the ACCPA, expressed satisfaction with the level of enthusiasm of participants in gaining an understanding of the key pillars of China’s Global Civilization Initiative proposal.

According to him, "it’s evident that our world today requires new ways of thinking when it comes to building sustainable peace and stability. China’s GCI is a sincere appeal to the entire world for extensive inter-civilizational communication, which is extremely beneficial, practical, and long-lasting."

He further reiterated the commitment of his outfit, ACCPA, which is a Sino-African research and policy think tank and advisory firm, to creating an intellectually stimulating and open forum to share perspectives on Africa-China relations.