On June 10, the Chinese Embassy in South Africa and the Institute for Global Dialogue (IGD) jointly hosted a seminar marking the International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations. The event featured a video address by Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the 2026 Event to Celebrate the International Day for Dialogue Among Civilizations. Ambassador Wu Peng and Dave Malcomson, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation attended and delivered remarks. Scholars from the IGD, the University of South Africa, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Peking University and other institutions participated in the discussions. Around 80 representatives from think tanks, media outlets and diplomatic missions in South Africa were also in attendance.

Ambassador Wu noted that in 2023, President Xi Jinping put forward the Global Civilization Initiative with great vision. The Initiative clearly points out that different civilizations can absolutely coexist in harmony and strengthen each other through mutual learning. China stands ready to work with South Africa and other countries to implement the Initiative, use dialogue among civilizations as an “Accelerator” for development, an “Anchor” for security and an “Adhesive” for improving global governance, and inject more positive energy into a world undergoing turbulence and transformation.

Deputy Director-General Malcomson noted that South Africa has been inspired by the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping, and shares the view that mutual learning among civilizations is essential for the Global South to collectively address contemporary global challenges. South Africa and China enjoy an all-round comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era. South Africa greatly values this partnership, welcomes China's role as a leader in global governance, and will work with other countries of the Global South to pursue modernization.

Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on topics including the global significance of the Global Civilization Initiative and the prospects for China–South Africa and China–Africa cooperation. They spoke highly of China’s contributions to advancing dialogue among civilizations.