Chinese Government to use religion to promote social harmony | March 04, 2008

ANI Tuesday 4th March, 2008

New Delhi, Mar.4 : Jia Qinglin, the Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), has pledged to use religion for promoting social harmony across China.

"We should fully follow the policy on freedom of religious belief, implement the regulations on religious affairs, and conduct thorough research on important and difficult issues related to religion," The China Daily quoted him, as saying.

"We should guide religious leaders and believers to improve their lives, and make full use of their positive role in promoting social harmony," he added in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the first session of the 11th CPPCC National Committee.

Figures from the State Administration for Religious Affairs suggest that there are more than 100 million believers in the country, mostly Buddhists, Taoists, Protestants, Catholics and Muslims.

Among them are 18 million Muslims, 10 million Protestants and four million Catholics.