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MCC was present at the international conference “China Keywords”, which explored the foundational pillars of Chinese civilisation and its growing role in the world. Lénárd Sándor, Head of the Center for International Law at MCC, pointed out that while the ancient Chinese Silk Road was primarily a process of mutual learning between European and Chinese civilisations, the current dogmatism that dominates the European Union does not help Europe to cultivate a self-image or play a balancing role in the world along the own European interests.

“China Keywords” was the theme of this year’s Telos conference organized in New York, which aimed to comprehend and contextualize Chinese civilization. The international conference brought together scholars from prestigious universities and institutions from three continents, including Peking University, Sichuan University, Shanghai University, Stanford, Pepperdine University and the Hoover Institute. 

The thirty papers presented at the conference shed light on the depth and richness of the intellectual heritage of the Chinese civilization, as well as its relevance to the present day, which continues to influence and permeate Chinese social relations and perceptions, and in this context, has an impact on Chinese strategic thinking in the world today. The speakers at the conference agreed that the West’s historical debts is that it fails to seek understanding the emergence of China through the Chinese civilization.

Lénárd Sándor, stressed that Europe’s way of thinking is marked by a general dogmatism without offering a real narrative and it lacks the engagement in inter-civilizational dialogue. On the same note, unlike in the previous historical periods, its relations with China are not placed in the dimension of dialogue between civilisations. However, “the dialogue is not only essential for creating ties and comprehending the other, but also and more importantly to construct self-definition as well as to recognize, nurture and defend a self-image.” Europe should develop and implement self-awareness and strategy in order to play a balancing or even moderating role in the current rivalry between America and China.