Shum Ho-fai: Macao is willing to continue to play a bridge role and work with all parties to promote the harmonious coexistence of different civilizations

China News Service, Macau, November 9 (Reporters Zheng Jiawei and Mo Qian) The "International Forum on Mutual Learning of Civilizations 2026" opened in Macau on the 9th. Chief Executive of the Macau SAR, Sam Ho-fai, said at the opening ceremony that at present, civilizational gaps and cognitive differences still exist, and the Global Civilization Initiative contributes Chinese wisdom to solving the problems facing the world today. Macao is willing to continue to play its role as a bridge for dialogue among civilizations, work with all parties to adhere to equality, respect, openness and inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation, vigorously promote the Silk Road spirit, jointly promote the harmonious coexistence of different civilizations, and contribute Macao's strength to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The "International Forum on Mutual Learning of Civilizations 2026" brought together nearly 300 representatives of government departments, international organizations, experts and scholars from more than 20 countries and regions, and held nearly 40 special speeches and academic exchanges to discuss the mutual learning, inheritance and development of civilizations.

Shum Ho Fai pointed out that Macao is an important node on the Maritime Silk Road. For more than 400 years, cultures from different regions, beliefs and traditions have coexisted harmoniously here. The country's strategic positioning of Macao as "an important window for exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Western civilizations" is a full affirmation of Macao's experience in multicultural symbiosis. Macao will further practice and promote the values ​​of peace, tolerance, openness and sharing contained in "one country, two systems" and provide a platform for exchanges and mutual learning for mutual understanding between different civilizations. At the same time, as the "precision contact" between China and Portuguese-speaking countries, Macao continues to promote two-way cultural dialogue and is an active builder of contemporary civilization dialogue.

He said that emerging technologies represented by artificial intelligence are profoundly changing the world, which also poses a new era proposition: how to guide science and technology to serve human progress, let technological innovation maintain the original intention of humanity, and empower the integration of civilizations rather than opposition. Currently, Macao is actively using digital technology to help protect and inherit cultural heritage. Through digital display and technological innovation of cultural resources, precious historical culture can be brought into public life and better inspire the future of the city.

The forum is hosted by the Macao SAR Government, with academic support from the Institute of Chinese History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and will close on the 10th.