CRNTT:

According to the plan on deepening reform of Party and state institutions released by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee administrates religious affairs. I would like to ask why such reforms have been made. What kind of influence will this have on the freedom of religious belief and religious activities of citizens after the reform? Thank you.

Chen Zongrong:

I am attending today's press conference as former vice administrator of the State Administration for Religious Affairs. The State Administration for Religious Affairs has been incorporated into the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee. We are in a process of adjustment. Officials at the director level and above from the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, the State Administration for Religious Affairs and the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council assembled on the morning of April 1 to announce the formation of the new department. The integration of the State Administration for Religious Affairs and the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council into the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and the formation of the new leadership of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee mark the formation of the new department. My original title has expired, and the new title has yet to be announced. That's the reason I am attending the press conference as former vice administrator of the State Administration for Religious Affairs.

According to the institutional reform plan, the State Administration for Religious Affairs was incorporated into the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, which demonstrates the strengthening of the Party's centralized, unified leadership over religious work. The aim is to fully implement the Party's basic policy on religious affairs, uphold the principle that religions in China must be Chinese in orientation, and coordinate the United Front and religious resources. The reform will actively guide religions to adapt to China's socialist society. These words I just said are quoted from the plan on deepening reform of Party and state institutions. They are also the purpose and significance of the reform. I think this reform can produce the following benefits:

The reform is conducive to optimizing the institutional mechanisms for religious work, raising the level of religious work, and increasing the work force in religious work. Before the integration, the domain of the functions of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee overlapped with that of the State Administration for Religious Affairs. The reform will help streamline the regulatory system and better coordinate the strengths of the two. With an optimized institutional mechanism, improved governance level, and strengthened workforce of religious work, we will be able to better safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the religious community, guarantee citizens' freedom of religious belief, standardize the management of religious affairs, and promote social and religious harmony. Therefore, the reform will only benefit religious work without affecting it.

For the Communist Party of China, advocating atheism and guaranteeing freedom of religious belief are both part of the Party's claims and work requirements. The CPC advocates atheism and advocates the promotion of atheism, but it does not mean that the freedom of religious belief of citizens cannot be guaranteed, nor does it mean that citizens' freedom of religious belief cannot be respected. The relationship between the CPC and the religious community is solidarity and cooperation on politics and mutual respect of beliefs. No matter how the religious institutions change, the CPC's policy of guaranteeing freedom of religious belief will not change. I think the reform will be more and more beneficial to religious work, and better protect the freedom of religious belief of the citizens. Thanks.

Xi Yanchun:

We moved from talking about the white paper to the China-Vatican relationship to institutional reforms. Do you have any questions about the white paper?

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