The Nishan World Confucianism Summit Forum is held in Qufu, Shandong province on Sept 26. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Nishan World Confucianism Summit Forum was held in Qufu, East China's Shandong province on Sept 26 with the aim of discussing how Confucianism has promoted the modernization of East Asia.

The forum aimed to highlight the unique features of Confucianism and deepen academic exchanges and mutual learning among world civilizations.

Scholars and experts from over 10 countries and regions, including China, the United States, the Republic of Korea and Malaysia, analyzed the role that Confucianism has played in promoting the modernization of East Asia from different perspectives.

In his speech at the form, Roger Thomas Ames, a visiting professor from the United States at Peking University's Department of Philosophy, said that the Confucian concept of "harmony in diversity" is an inclusive pluralism aimed at achieving diversity within the core value of fair relations, and can replace fragmented relativism.

He said Confucian philosophy advocates a family system that allows various activities to take root in the family and then extend outward to society and politics. This maximizes the creativity and possibility of all human activities, he added.

Tang Zhouyan, chairman of the Shandong Provincial Federation of Social Sciences, pointed out in his speech that the fertile soil of Confucian culture has nurtured and influenced the formation and development of Chinese-style modernization.

With the growth of the Confucian cultural sphere in East Asia, Confucianism is profoundly affecting the development of modernization in East Asia, he said.

Tang called for expanding research horizons and deepening the interpretation of Confucian culture's contemporary value, promoting international cooperation, and continuously optimizing the academic ecosystem of the Confucian cultural sphere.

The forum was co-hosted by a group of academic institutions, including the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences, Shandong University, and the Nishan World Confucianism Center.