Confucianism that values the importance of people, trust, and cooperation makes a difference to China's governance philosophy and development, according to a sinologist speaking ahead of the 10th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations in east China's Shandong Province.
Ragnar Baldursson, who was also Iceland's minister counselor to China, talked about the philosophy of Confucianism and its impact on China's politics and social governance.
"As long as China is governed in the way it is governed today, it's not going to war, because people die, because it does not serve the interest of the people to die. You have to try to provide for them, you had to solve problems peacefully. Trust is one central element. People are one central element. And the third one is inclusive harmoniousness. It's like we can work together. We don't have to agree," he said.
The former diplomat said that the concept comes from China's background as a rice growing society where people need to work together to grow rice.
"So in China it's 'he' and actually the character itself is a rice and a mouth. And how many mouths can you feed with the rice, so you have to work together," he said.
The 10th Nishan Forum on World Civilizations kicked off Wednesday in Qufu City, the hometown of Chinese philosopher and educator Confucius, under the theme of "Traditional Culture and Modern Civilization."
The two-day event gathered leading cultural experts and scholars from around the world to improve understanding between cultures and features several activities, including high-level interviews, parallel forums and keynote speeches.
The forum is named after Nishan Mountain, which is revered as the birthplace of Confucius and has immense historical and cultural significance. The most prominent landmark there is a 72-meter-high statue of Confucius.
Confucianism makes difference to China's governance philosophy: sinologist
Millions of Syrians displaced to neighboring countries by the country's civil war now face a dilemma: whether to return to their war-devastated homeland to start from square one or continue to stay in the countries where they have already built a new life.
Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, millions of Syrians have been forced to seek refuge in Türkiye, Iraq and other neighboring countries.
Türkiye is home to approximately 3.5 million registered Syrian refugees, according to official statistics.
Six of the 11 border crossings between Türkiye and Syria are currently open, and the Cilvegozu border crossing in Hatay is the largest of them.
The crossing is currently open around the clock, with online same-day appointment travel permits available, and additional support provided by volunteers, including language translation and baggage handling services.
"My name is Mohammed al-Sabah. I'm from Aleppo and I have been living in Türkiye for 10 years. My house in Syria was destroyed in an air strike many years ago, but I had to go back to Syria to rebuild our country," said a 62-year-old Syrian refugee.
Syria has been devastated by years of war, and for many Syrian refugees, Türkiye's encouragement policy is not enough to dispel their practical concerns, and it is still a problem for them to decide whether to return or to stay.
For many Syrian families who have spent years in Türkiye, roots have been firmly established.
Abdulkadir Al-Hasan, a 35-year-old Syrian refugee, has established a new life in Türkiye, where he is able to support his family through his skills as a heavy machinery operator, including driving excavators and harvesters.
"We used to live in Hama in Syria but the whole city was destroyed. My brother went back last week, only to find that there was no water, no electricity, and no job. It is impossible to live there," said Hasan.
Torn between the life he has built in Türkiye and the pull of his homeland, Hasan finds himself in a difficult position.
"The schools back home have not been restored, so for the sake of our children's education, we have to stay. I will consider going back if order is restored in Syria and the country is on its feet again, but now there is only a title for the government, but nothing else," Hasan said.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also warned of the challenges facing the returnees.
"There is this humanitarian crisis ongoing inside Syria, some still say the security situation is still fragile in many parts of Syria," said Selin Unal, spokesperson of the UNHCR in Türkiye.
Displaced Syrians caught in dilemma of returning or staying
