In a national religious conference, Chinese President Xi Jinping highlighted fully implementing the Party's theory of religious work in the new era, the basic principles of religious work, and the policy of freedom of religious belief.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made remarks at a national religious work conference held in Beijing from December 3rd to 4th.
The conference summarized achievements and experiences of religious work, analyzed the situation and tasks faced by religious work, and expounded new thoughts, notions and strategies of religious work in the new era. It "clarified the insistence of sinicizing religion in China, and the perseverance of doing a good job in guiding ideology, strategic objectives, key tasks and policy measures for religious work in the new era".
Xi highlighted "fully implementing the CPC’s theory of religious work in the new era, the basic principles of religious work, and the policy of freedom of religious belief". He also adhered to the "direction of Sinicization of religion in China, guiding religion to adapt to the socialist society, improving the self-administration level of the religion, and the level of institutionalization of governing religious affairs".
“Efforts must be made to better organize and guide religious believers to work together with the broad masses of the people for the Chinese dream of building a socialist modernization power in an all-round way and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” he said.
“We should strengthen control of online religious affairs. We must effectively solve the outstanding problems that affect the proper inheritance of religion in China.”
Xi Jinping pointed out that it was necessary to support and guide the religious sector to strengthen self-education, self-administration, and self-discipline, to comprehensively and strictly govern religion. The religious sector should take the lead in adhering to laws and regulations and promoting religious cultivation.
“Religious activities should be carried out within the scope stipulated by laws and regulations, and should not damage citizen’s physical health, should not break public order, and should not interfere with educational, judicial and administrative affairs as well as social life.”
- Translated by Charlie Li
