China agrees with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos' notion that the talk of a "clash of civilizations" is a huge mistake, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a routine press briefing Monday.

Geng Shuang

Pavlopoulos will attend the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in Beijing. During a recent interview, he said that world peace relies on the dialogue, communication and mutual understanding of different civilizations. China and Greece, as two ancient civilizations, are able to play key roles in promoting dialogue between different civilizations, he added.

In response to Pavlopoulos' remarks, Geng said that respecting the diversity of civilizations is crucial to safeguarding world peace and harmony. It's also important to conduct dialogue between different civilizations so that different countries can coexist peacefully.

"Every country has the right to choose a development path that adapts to its own context. All countries should hold an equal, tolerant view towards civilization so that mutual learning and dialogue will be promoted. Faulty assumptions like the clash of civilizations or the superiority of civilizations should be abandoned," Geng added.

The Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations is being held to show the splendor of Asian civilizations, promote exchanges and mutual learning between different civilizations and drive future cooperation between different countries, said Geng.

China and Greece are the inheritors of original civilizations and both share a lot in common in culture and concepts. China-Greece relations are turning into a paragon of peaceful cooperation between countries with different systems and cultures. The two countries should shoulder the due responsibilities and duties to promote world peace and build a community with a shared future for mankind, Geng said.