Meeting Ethnic Uighurs, President Xi Jinping Talks About The Development Of Islam In China

Chinese President Xi Jinping (Photo: Reuters via ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Chinese President Xi Jinping mentioned the development of the Islamic religion during his visit to the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, whose majority population is from the Uighur Muslim ethnic minority background.

Previously, the international community highlighted Xinjiang regarding alleged human rights violations committed by Beijing against Uighurs.

But Beijing denies it under the pretext of deradicalization and de-extremization efforts with religious nuances because Xinjiang has a record of various incidents of terrorism and separatism.

During the visit, Xi was accompanied by the Secretary of the CPC Xinjiang Committee, Ma Xingrui and the Uighur Governor of Xinjiang Erkin Tuniyaz.

The number one person in China met and chatted directly with residents in several areas in Xinjiang he visited.

"We uphold the principle of the development of Islam in context and provide active guidance for adapting religion to socialist society," the supreme leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) said in a release sent by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) quoted by ANTARA in Beijing, Sunday. evening, July 17th.

Previously, Xi made a four-day working visit to Xinjiang on July 12-15, 2022. Xi's last visit to an area directly bordering Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India was in 2014.

Xi instructed an increase in capacity in regulating religious affairs to ensure stable developments in the religious field.

"We must be able to train teams from parties and government officials who are experts in Marxism but can understand religious issues, are familiar with religious affairs, and are competent in the involvement and development of religious leaders so that they can be relied on politically and have good character," he said.

That way, he continued, the figure can play an active role at critical times, be able to foster religious researchers who have academic achievements, hold Marxist views on religious issues, and are able to innovate.

"We must ensure that the demands of religious adherents are met and bring them under the auspices of the party and government," Xi added.

"All ethnic groups in Xinjiang are inseparable from members of the Chinese nation's family," Xi said.