Page 69 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL10

In 2013, China established the Maritime Silk Road, an economic belt linking ASEAN with China for economic and cultural purposesprimary products to Chinese factories like in the past.In 2013, China established the Maritime Silk Road, an economic belt linking ASEAN with China for economic and cultural purposes. The project aims to complete the develop- ment of the region, said Ambassador Ning, balancing economic growth in the north and south, as the new generation of world leaders will have to be more open-minded and visionary in order to better humankind.Towards the end of the lecture, Prof Fu was asked how to preserve Eastern culture from Western influences. It is the responsibility of all governments to conserve and promote their cultures, he said. The private and public sectors should cooperate, and parents and teachers should teach children about the good elements of their culture. As time passes, there will be some thingswhich are no longer practical to changed circumstances, so we also have to learn how to let go. It is important for every country, especially in the East, to be more open and understand that Western culture is not necessarily bad. We have to adjust our mindset, accept new ideas positively and integrate them with the good things we already have, so that collectively we can move on to a better world.Ambassador Ning concluded by saying that different countries have different histories, but we live together. Cultural relations are the bridges between people, like having a heart- to-heart conversation that deepens understanding and development for everyone, every country.Elite+ 67