Yang Huilin, former vice-president of Renmin University of China, says that every tradition contains both "enduring ideas" and "mutable, shared elements."

He emphasizes that "mutual reference" and "mutual interpretation" allow civilizations to move toward each other and complement one another despite their differences. This approach points to a future where civilizational exchange transcends barriers, mutual learning overcomes conflicts, and inclusiveness surpasses superiority.

In dialogical research, tracing and reconstructing the theoretical tools and problem sources of both Chinese and Western traditions is a fundamental task for "resolving the debates between ancient and modern, East and West," Yang says.