President Xi Jinping on Wednesday proposed a tourism plan to promote Asian cultures and offered China’s support in implementing it, saying millions of Chinese tourists visiting abroad and vice versa are an “important force” to promote cultural exchange.

Xi made the comments at the opening session of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations being held here.

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The event is attended by Charg D’Affaires of the Indian Embassy Acquino Vimal, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, Singaporean President Halimah Yacob and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan…

In his address, Xi said China is willing to implement an Asia tourism promotion plan with other countries to promote Asian cultures.

Chinese people made more than 160 million outbound trips in 2018, while inbound trips by overseas tourists exceeded 140 million. They are important forces for promoting cultural exchanges and mutual learning among Chinese and foreign civilisations, he said.

He said there would be no clash of civilizations as long as people are able to appreciate the beauty of them all.

Noting that the Asian civilisations have written a brilliant chapter in human civilisation, he said Asia takes up one-third of the total land on Earth, has two-thirds of the global population, consists of 47 countries and more than 1,000 ethnic groups.

Asian people have made incredible cultural achievements over the past thousands of years and they have started cultural exchanges and mutual learning since the early days, Xi said.

Asian people’s aspiration for a better life should become a reality. Geographically and culturally connected, Asian countries have experienced similar historical situations and pursued the same dream, he said.

We should keep having cultural exchanges and mutual learning with other civilisations in the world and strive to continue writing new brilliant chapters of Asian civilisations, he said.

Chinese civilisation is an open system formed due to constant cultural exchanges with other civilisations, he said, adding that in future, China will surely embrace the world with a more open posture.