Deeply Grasping the True Essence of "the Common Values of All Mankind"

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind and practicing the common values of all mankind. The common values of all mankind are a Chinese proposal put forward by the Communist Party of China, with an eye to the changes in the world, in the times, and in history under the changes unseen in a century, to seek the common interests of mankind and lead common actions of mankind, manifesting the original contribution of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. General Secretary Xi Jinping has expounded on the common values of all mankind on many occasions, repeatedly calling for "promoting the common values of all mankind of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom." To deeply grasp the true essence of "the common values of all mankind," one must know their words and better understand their meaning, comprehend what the common values of all mankind are; understand their meaning and better grasp their rationale, comprehend why to promote the common values of all mankind; grasp their rationale and better practice them, clarify how to promote the common values of all mankind.

党的二十届三中全会提出，推动构建人类命运共同体，践行全人类共同价值。全人类共同价值是中国共产党着眼百年未有之大变局下的世界之变、时代之变、历史之变，为谋求人类共同利益、引领人类共同行动而提出的中国方案，彰显了习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的原创性贡献。习近平总书记在诸多场合对全人类共同价值进行了阐述，多次呼吁“弘扬和平、发展、公平、正义、民主、自由的全人类共同价值”。深刻把握“全人类共同价值”的思想真谛，要知其言更知其义，理解何谓全人类共同价值；知其义更知其道，领悟为何弘扬全人类共同价值；知其道更行其道，明确何以弘扬全人类共同价值。

1. Know their words and better understand their meaning: What are the common values of all mankind

1.知其言更知其义：何谓全人类共同价值

The common values of all mankind transcend differences in national ideologies, social systems, and historical cultures, condense the value consensus of different civilizations of mankind, and draw the largest concentric circle of value concepts universally recognized by people of all countries. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Peace and development are our common cause, fairness and justice are our common ideal, democracy and freedom are our common pursuit." This provides scientific guidance for us to understand the basic meaning of the common values of all mankind.

全人类共同价值超越了不同国家意识形态、社会制度和历史文化差异，凝聚了人类不同文明的价值共识，画出了世界各国人民普遍认同的价值理念的最大同心圆。习近平总书记指出：“和平与发展是我们的共同事业，公平正义是我们的共同理想，民主自由是我们的共同追求。”这为我们理解全人类共同价值的基本意涵提供了科学遵循。

Peace and development are the common cause of all mankind. Although the century-old world changes are accelerating, peace and development remain the themes of the times. To want peace rather than war, to want development rather than poverty is the common aspiration of people of all countries. Peace concerns the sustainable existence and orderly development of human society; development concerns the effective improvement of the level of human survival, development, and quality of life. Peace and development are mutually foundational and prerequisite. Only by resolving conflicts and contradictions and stopping division and confrontation through peaceful means can human society have a favorable external environment for development; only by fundamentally solving the problems of human survival and improving the quality of human life can peace in human society not become a luxury. Peace and development are the common cause of all mankind, the responsibility and obligation of all countries in the world, requiring the joint struggle of all mankind to actively maintain world peace and jointly promote world development. The peace and development contained in the common values of all mankind deeply align with the value needs of human survival and development, embodying the interests and aspirations of people of all countries.

和平与发展是全人类的共同事业。虽然世界百年变局加速演进，但和平与发展仍是时代主题，要和平不要战争、要发展不要贫穷是世界各国人民的共同愿望。和平关乎人类社会的永续存在与有序发展，发展关乎人类生存发展水平和生活质量的有效提升。和平与发展互为基础和前提。只有以和平方式来化解矛盾冲突与制止分裂对抗，人类社会的发展才能拥有良好的外部环境；只有从根本上解决人类生存问题、提高人类生活质量，人类社会的和平才不至成为奢望。和平与发展是全人类共同的事业，是世界各国的责任与义务，需要全人类为之共同奋斗，积极维护世界和平、共同促进世界发展。全人类共同价值蕴含的和平与发展，深度契合人类生存与发展的价值需要，体现世界各国人民的利益和愿望。

Fairness and justice are the common ideal of all mankind. Looking at the history of human social development, fairness and justice have always been the value ideals that mankind has persistently pursued, referring to the value expectation of reasonably distributing interests. People of all countries hope for fairness, enjoying equal development opportunities and rights; people of all countries yearn for justice, resorting to the most perfect system to ensure "getting what one deserves." The fairness contained in the common values of all mankind insists that all countries, regardless of size, strength, or wealth, are equal, that all countries jointly enjoy international rights, jointly abide by international rules, and jointly fulfill international obligations, promoting fairness in rights, opportunities, and rules. The justice contained in the common values of all mankind advocates both that all countries "firmly uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms of international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," and advocates practicing a correct view of righteousness and benefit, establishing value concepts of keeping faith, valuing friendship, upholding justice, and adhering to morality, paying attention to lagging and less developed countries and providing them with more assistance. The common values of all mankind incorporate fairness and justice as value elements, actively responding to the value expectations of people of all countries for fairness and justice in the international community.

公平与正义是全人类的共同理想。纵观人类社会发展史，公平与正义一直是人类孜孜以求的价值理想，指涉的是合理分配利益的价值期待。世界各国人民都希冀公平，享有平等的发展机会和权利；世界各国人民都渴望正义，诉诸至善制度来保障“得其所应得”。全人类共同价值蕴含的公平，是坚持国家不分大小、强弱、贫富一律平等，各国共同享有国际权利、共同遵守国际规则、共同履行国际义务，促进权利公平、机会公平、规则公平。全人类共同价值蕴含的正义，既主张各国“坚定维护以联合国为核心的国际体系、以国际法为基础的国际秩序、以联合国宪章宗旨和原则为基础的国际关系基本准则”，又倡导践行正确义利观，树立讲信义、重情义、扬正义、树道义的价值理念，关注落后与欠发达国家并为其提供更多援助。全人类共同价值将公平与正义作为价值要素纳入其中，积极回应了各国人民对国际社会公平正义的价值期盼。

Democracy and freedom are the common pursuit of all mankind. In today's world, the concepts of democracy and freedom have long been deeply rooted in people's hearts, becoming the unswerving value demands of mankind. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "The paths to happiness are not the same; the people of each country have the right to choose their own development path and system model," and "Democracy is also the right of the people of all countries, not a patent of a few countries. There are many ways to realize democracy; it cannot be uniform." There is no single model of democracy that is universally applicable; democracy that suits a country's national conditions is the real, effective, and useful democracy. The democracy contained in the common values of all mankind is not only a system design at the national level, fully reflecting the will of the people, ensuring that the people are the masters of the country, and safeguarding the fundamental interests of the people, but also the democratization of international relations, that is, realizing that "the destiny of the world should be jointly grasped by all countries, international rules should be jointly written by all countries, global affairs should be jointly governed by all countries, and development achievements should be jointly shared by all countries." The freedom contained in the common values of all mankind is the freedom for people of all countries to achieve a good and happy life, the freedom for all countries to reasonably express their interests and demands, and the freedom for different nations and countries to independently choose their social systems and development paths according to their own historical culture and social reality and national conditions.

民主与自由是全人类的共同追求。当今世界，民主与自由观念早已深入人心，成为人类矢志不渝的价值诉求。习近平总书记强调，“通向幸福的道路不尽相同，各国人民有权选择自己的发展道路和制度模式”，“民主同样是各国人民的权利，而不是少数国家的专利。实现民主有多种方式，不可能千篇一律”。没有定于一尊、放之四海而皆准的民主，适合本国国情的民主，才是真实的、管用的、有效的民主。全人类共同价值蕴含的民主，不仅是国家层面的制度设计，充分反映人民意志、确保人民当家作主、维护人民根本利益，同时也是国际关系的民主化，即实现“世界命运应该由各国共同掌握，国际规则应该由各国共同书写，全球事务应该由各国共同治理，发展成果应该由各国共同分享”。全人类共同价值蕴含的自由，是各国人民实现美好幸福生活的自由，是各国有权合理表达利益诉求的自由，是不同民族国家可以根据自身历史文化和社会现实国情自主选择社会制度和发展道路的自由。

2. Understand their meaning and better grasp their rationale: Why promote the common values of all mankind

2.知其义更知其道：为何弘扬全人类共同价值

Promoting the common values of all mankind is the scientific answer of the Communist Party of China to the "questions of the world" and the "questions of the times," condensing profound thinking on the future and destiny of mankind, carrying the glorious mission of leading the direction of human civilization and the trend of historical development, and having sufficient practical basis and historical inevitability.

弘扬全人类共同价值是中国共产党对“世界之问”和“时代之问”的科学回答，凝结着对人类前途命运的深邃思考，承载着引领人类文明走向和历史发展潮流的光荣使命，具有充分的现实依据和历史必然性。

Conforming to the general trend of the times in world history requires promoting the common values of all mankind. The common values of all mankind are valuable spiritual wealth formed by mankind in the process of world history, benefiting from the value interaction of universal human communication practices. With the in-depth development of world multipolarity and economic globalization and the continuous advancement of cultural diversity and social informatization, peace, development, cooperation, and win-win have become historical trends. The hegemonic value concepts of zero-sum game, conflict and confrontation, and the law of the jungle are long outdated; value concepts such as dialogue and consultation, coexistence and common prosperity have become requirements of the times. Promoting the common values of all mankind stands on the side of historical correctness and human progress, aligns with the general historical direction, logic, and trend of human social development, and conforms to the value aspirations of people of all countries. Therefore, promoting the common values of all mankind is an inevitable trend of historical evolution and an inevitable requirement of the changes of the times, helping to lead the world's people to advance in the logic of historical progress and develop in the trend of the times.

顺应世界历史的时代大势需要弘扬全人类共同价值。全人类共同价值是人类在世界历史进程中形成的宝贵精神财富，受益于人类普遍交往实践的价值互动。随着世界多极化、经济全球化深入发展和文化多样化、社会信息化持续推进，和平、发展、合作、共赢成为历史潮流。零和博弈、冲突对抗、弱肉强食的霸道价值理念早已不合时宜，对话协商、共存共荣等价值理念成为时代要求。弘扬全人类共同价值站在历史正确和人类进步的一边，契合人类社会发展的历史大方向、大逻辑、大趋势，顺应了世界各国人民价值心声。因此，弘扬全人类共同价值是历史演进的必然趋势，是时代变革的必然要求，有助于引领世界人民在历史前进的逻辑中前进，在时代发展的潮流中发展。

Solving the real dilemmas of human society requires promoting the common values of all mankind. Today's world is intertwined with turbulence and change; deficits in peace, development, security, and governance are increasing. Human society is standing at a crossroads, facing unprecedented challenges. Resolving the global contradictions and problems facing mankind requires both the fundamental role of material forces and the spiritual guidance of value forces. The common values of all mankind genuinely concern the overall dilemmas and systemic crises of current human society, marking the value demands of mankind for peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom. Promoting the common values of all mankind manifests the practical wisdom of using value rationality to solve the ills of global modernity, and is bound to lead mankind towards openness, inclusiveness, universal benefit, balance, and win-win.

破解人类社会的现实困境需要弘扬全人类共同价值。当今世界变乱交织，和平赤字、发展赤字、安全赤字、治理赤字加重，人类社会正站在十字路口，面临前所未有的挑战。化解人类面临的全球性矛盾和问题，既需要物质力量的根本作用，又需要价值力量的精神引领。全人类共同价值切实关切当下人类社会的总体性困境和系统性危机，标注了人类求和平、谋发展、尚公平、崇正义、扬民主、向自由的价值诉求。弘扬全人类共同价值，彰显了以价值理性破解全球现代性之殇的实践智慧，势必能够引领人类向着开放、包容、普惠、平衡、共赢的方向行进。

Promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind requires promoting the common values of all mankind. "When the great Way prevails, the common good will reign over all under Heaven." [1]1 The 20th National Congress of the CPC was held in October 2022. As a clear banner leading the trend of the times and the direction of human progress, building a community with a shared future for mankind fundamentally depends on the practical actions of people of all countries based on value consensus. And the common values of all mankind, keeping pace with the times and sharing the hearts of the people, occupying the commanding heights of human truth and morality, should naturally become the value guidance for building a community with a shared future for mankind. The common values of all mankind take the future and destiny of mankind as their purpose, seek definite value goals for mankind in an uncertain world, depict for people of all countries the ideal state of human social development, enhance the "common good" of mankind, and promote the world to develop in the correct direction of common development, lasting peace, and mutual learning among civilizations. Thus, promoting the common values of all mankind can provide strong and powerful value support for building a community with a shared future for mankind, guiding people of all countries to jointly build a world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, and clean and beautiful.

推动构建人类命运共同体需要弘扬全人类共同价值。“大道之行也，天下为公。”作为引领时代潮流和人类前进方向的鲜明旗帜，构建人类命运共同体根本依赖于世界各国人民基于价值共识的实践行动。而全人类共同价值与时代同行、与人民同心，占据着人类真理与道义的制高点，理应成为构建人类命运共同体的价值遵循。全人类共同价值以人类前途命运为旨归，在不确定性的世界中为人类寻求确定的价值目标，向各国人民描绘人类社会发展的应然状态，增进人类“共同的善”，推动世界朝着共同发展、长治久安、文明互鉴的正确方向发展。由此，弘扬全人类共同价值可以为构建人类命运共同体提供坚强有力的价值支撑，指引世界各国人民共同建设一个持久和平、普遍安全、共同繁荣、开放包容、清洁美丽的世界。

3. Knowing the Way and Practicing the Way: How to Promote the Common Values of All Mankind

3.知其道更行其道：何以弘扬全人类共同价值

On the new journey of the New Era, the Communist Party of China, with a highly responsible attitude toward the future and destiny of mankind, vigorously promotes the common values of all mankind, seeks the common interests of all mankind, and gathers broad value consensus and powerful value synergy to realize the beautiful aspirations of mankind and open up a bright future for mankind.

新时代新征程上，中国共产党本着对人类前途命运高度负责的态度，大力弘扬全人类共同价值，谋求全人类共同利益，为实现人类美好愿望、开辟人类美好前途凝聚起广泛价值共识，汇聚起强大价值合力。

Promote the common values of all mankind through deepening scholarly interpretation. Persistence in values stems from theoretical clarity. Promoting the common values of all mankind requires theoretical self-consciousness, conducting in-depth research on the theoretical foundation, substantive content, target prospects, etc., of the common values of all mankind, and on this basis, advancing the systematic and scholarly interpretation of the common values of all mankind, profoundly revealing the inherent characteristics of compatibility, openness, contemporaneity, and co-construction of the common values of all mankind. To this end, it is necessary to further construct a theoretical system of the common values of all mankind that covers value background, value connotation, value characteristics, value discourse, value pathways, etc., revealing the truth of the common values of all mankind with profound scholarship, demonstrating the scientific nature of the common values of all mankind with a complete system, avoiding one-sided and vulgarized understandings of the common values of all mankind, and consolidating the theoretical foundation for promoting the common values of all mankind.

在深化学理阐释中弘扬全人类共同价值。价值上的坚守，源于理论上的清醒。弘扬全人类共同价值要坚持理论自觉，对全人类共同价值的理论基础、内容实质、目标前景等进行深入研究，并在此基础上推进全人类共同价值的体系化学理化阐释，深刻揭示全人类共同价值内蕴的兼容性、开放性、时代性、共建性等特质。为此，要进一步建构涵盖价值背景、价值内涵、价值特征、价值话语、价值路径等全人类共同价值的理论体系，以深刻的学理揭示全人类共同价值的真理性、以完备的体系论证全人类共同价值的科学性，避免对全人类共同价值的片面化、庸俗化理解，夯实弘扬全人类共同价值的理论基础。

Promote the common values of all mankind through optimizing international communication. The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC proposed strengthening the capacity for international communication and comprehensively enhancing the effectiveness of international communication. [1]1 The 20th National Congress of the CPC was held in October 2022. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC proposed building a more effective international communication system. [2]2 The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC was held in July 2024. Strengthening the international communication of the common values of all mankind, so that they are “spread and acclaimed” worldwide, is an inherent requirement of promoting the common values of all mankind. To this end, it is necessary to optimize the international communication environment for the common values of all mankind, ensure the smooth physical space for the international communication of the common values of all mankind by adhering to the correct direction of economic globalization, promote the integration of the legal space for the international communication of the common values of all mankind, and actively use the practical achievements of the Belt and Road Initiative to empower the emotional space for the international communication of the common values of all mankind. It is necessary to integrate the main bodies of international communication of the common values of all mankind, adhere to the dominant position of mainstream media, give full play to the theoretical expertise of academic communication subjects, highlight the affinity of mass communication subjects, and shape a grand communication pattern of concerted action in the same direction. Optimize the international communication strategy for the common values of all mankind, segment audiences for different country groups, pay attention to the interest demands of target audiences, and form a three-dimensional, rolling communication that radiates from point to area. Build a media matrix for the international communication of the common values of all mankind, strengthen the coordinated communication of traditional media and new media, and make more use of channels and methods that foreign people can hear, understand, and accept, continuously enhancing the value identification of people of all countries.

在优化国际传播中弘扬全人类共同价值。党的二十大报告提出，加强国际传播能力建设，全面提升国际传播效能。党的二十届三中全会提出，构建更有效力的国际传播体系。加强全人类共同价值的国际传播，使其在世界范围内“传开”与“叫响”，是弘扬全人类共同价值的题中应有之义。为此，要优化全人类共同价值国际传播环境，以坚持经济全球化的正确发展方向确保全人类共同价值国际传播的物理空间畅通，促进全人类共同价值国际传播的法理空间融通，积极利用共建“一带一路”倡议的实践成果赋能全人类共同价值国际传播的情感空间互通。要整合全人类共同价值国际传播主体，坚持主流媒体的主导地位，发挥学术传播主体的理论专长，彰显大众传播主体的亲和力，形塑同向同行的大传播格局。优化全人类共同价值国际传播策略，对不同国家群体进行受众细分，注重目标受众的利益诉求，形成以点带面、滚动式的立体传播。打造全人类共同价值国际传播媒介矩阵，强化传统媒体与新媒体的协同传播，多用外国民众听得到、听得懂、听得进的途径和方式，不断增强各国人民的价值认同。

Promote the common values of all mankind in advancing global governance reform. The fundamental way to promote the common values of all mankind lies in concretely and realistically implementing the common values of all mankind in the practice of global governance. Adhere to peaceful development, build a governance environment of lasting peace and common development, practice the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, oppose all forms of unilateralism and protectionism, and oppose all forms of hegemonism and power politics. Adhere to fairness and justice, build governance rules that uphold justice and promote righteousness, build a new type of international relations featuring mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation, promote equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal rules for all countries, uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core, and make the global governance system conform to the changed world politics and economy. “Understand the understanding of value connotations by different civilizations with a broad mind, respect the exploration of value realization paths by people of different countries,” [3]3 This quotation is from a speech by Xi Jinping. enhance the representation and voice of emerging market countries and developing countries in global affairs, and promote the development of global governance in a more just and reasonable direction.

在推进全球治理变革中弘扬全人类共同价值。弘扬全人类共同价值的根本之道，在于把全人类共同价值具体、现实地落到全球治理的实践中去。坚持和平发展，构筑持久和平、共同发展的治理环境，践行共商共建共享的全球治理观，反对一切形式的单边主义、保护主义，反对一切形式的霸权主义和强权政治。坚持公平正义，构建主持公道、弘扬正义的治理规则，建设相互尊重、公平正义、合作共赢的新型国际关系，推动各国权利平等、机会平等、规则平等，维护以联合国为核心的国际体系，使全球治理体系符合变化了的世界政治经济。“以宽广胸怀理解不同文明对价值内涵的认识，尊重不同国家人民对价值实现路径的探索”，提升新兴市场国家和发展中国家在全球事务中的代表性和发言权，推动全球治理朝着更加公正合理的方向发展。

Online editor: Paul

网络编辑：保罗