Chinese President Xi Jinping urged vigilance against foreign infiltration via religion and called for adherence to communist ruling during a high-level meeting on religion conducted on Saturday.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese president made the statement while promising full implementation of the Communist Party of China's (CPC) policies on religious freedom.
Resisting Infiltration
"We must resolutely resist overseas infiltration through religious means and guard against ideological infringement by extremists," Xi told the attendees of the religious convention that concluded on Saturday.
According to the president, authorities in China should use the Internet to focus on religious issues and disseminate information on the CPC's religious theories and policies.
Reuters noted that while the Communist Party does uphold freedom among Chinese citizens in choosing their own religion, their leadership maintains a "tight reign" on regulating the religious institutions' activities and operations.
The outlet said that China is concerned of the emergence of Islamists, whom Xi referred to as "extremists," that have been causing havoc in the far western region of Xinjiang.
Over the past years, violence caused by the conflict between the Han Chinese that compose the majority and the Muslim Uyghur minorities has resulted in hundreds of deaths.
In response, officials opted to increase efforts in banning traditional Islamic religious observances like growing beards and wearing veils.
Religion's Role in Maintaining Harmony
According to China Highlights, China is a multi-religious country that is home to numerous religious beliefs such as Taoism, Buddhism, Protestantism, lslam and Catholicism.
Because the Chinese constitution and government policy protect freedom of belief, the Chinese are able to choose freely which religious group they would join in.
However, Xi's talk about religion over the weekend revealed that not all Chinese are free to choose a religion.
In fact, he specified that all members of the Communist Party should act as "unyielding Marxist atheists, consolidate their faith, and bear in mind the Party's tenets."
According to Xi, CPC members "must not seek their own values and beliefs from religions," and make an effort in ensuring that the youth of China see the world with a science-backed outlook and "guide them to believe in science, study science and promote science."
However, Yu Zhengsheng, a senior political advisor, called on authorities to bear in mind the effects of religions in China.
"The positive role of religions should be maximized, and their negative impacts minimized," Yu explained, adding that conflicts involving religious domains should be addressed properly and in accordance to law.