I am very pleased and honored to be invited to the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations today. Several speakers have talked about the characteristics of Chinese civilization from different dimensions, such as commitment to the doctrine of the mean. As my areas of interest are economics and international issues, I would like to talk about the exchanges of Chinese culture or Chinese civilization from these two perspectives.First of all, I’d like to talk about the concept of free trade. At the just-concluded Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, President Xi Jinping emphasized China’s support for the concept of free trade and opposition to trade protectionism. Historically, some imperial governments in ancient China pursued a closed-door policy. But in general, the idea of free trade has a long tradition in China and remains the mainstream. In the Western Han dynasty which dates back to over 2,000 years ago, two important books came out, Huainanzi by Liu An and other scholars and Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian. The two authors realized that transactions between people or countries were mutually beneficial. As for the principles of trade, they wrote, “The market-dealer exchange items they have for those they don’t have, items they have in abundance for those they lack, and items they are good at producing for those they are poor at.” Following these three principles will lead to mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. This is China’s traditional thought of trade or proceeds. The ideas of Huainanzi and Sima Qian are perfectly similar to the classical economics of Adam Smith and the trade theory of David Ricardo. Therefore, I call it “Huainanzi-Sima Qian theorem.” It is about 2,000 years earlier than the trade theories of Smith and Ricardo. My point is that the notion of free trade is part of the Chinese tradition.Next, I’d like to move on to another traditional Chinese thought closely related to contemporary economics and international relations, the “Confucian improvement.” This is not my creation. It comes from one of my philosopher friends, Zhao Tingyang. A few years ago, we talked of an important concept in economics, the “Pareto improvement,” which means that improvement is made when any one individual in a social group is made better off without making other individuals worse off. As a result, the Pareto improvement becomes a very worthwhile goal in economics. Nonetheless, Zhao Tingyang holds that the Pareto improvement is good but not good enough. Confucius said, “The man of perfect virtue, wishing to be established and enlarged himself, also seeks to establish and enlarge others.” He implies that it is not enough to develop and improve yourself. More importantly, you should also develop and improve others. The Confucius improvement, named by Professor Zhao Tingyang, is implicitly a level higher than the Pareto improvement. And along with the Huainanzi-Sima Qian theorem, it becomes part of Chinese civilization. China’s the Belt and Road Initiative and the building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind are in line with the Confucius improvement in terms of goals and approaches.This year (2019) coincides with the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Seven decades ago, Chairman Mao Zedong solemnly declared the founding of the People’s Republic of China on the Tian’anmen Gate Tower. Tian’anmen has a special place in the hearts of all Chinese people. The gate tower is flanked by with two massive slogans, “Long Live the People’s Republic of China” and “Long live the great unity of the peoples of the world.” Written seventy years ago by the founders, they represent the fundamental goals or guidelines for how Chinese people treat their country and how they interact with the peoples of the world. We are determined to achieve sound development and share peace and prosperity with people around the world. The two slogans are mutually reinforcing and complementary. President Xi Jinping noted on various occasions that the historical mission of China today is twofold: to realize the renewal of the Chinese nation and promote the development of mankind. It is not difficult to find that the world today is facing two distinct, opposite views of civilization. China’s choice, I believe, is the choice of everyone present at the forum. The choice is crystal clear, namely mutual learning among civilizations, harmonious coexistence, and common development.Translated by Mo Hao