Top political advisor stresses religion-socialism harmony

KUNMING - During a visit to a Tibetan prefecture, top Chinese political advisor Yu Zhengsheng urged efforts to harmonize religion with socialist society and ensure stability.

Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks during a two-day inspection tour to the Diqing Tibetan autonomous prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province that ended on Saturday.

Yu urged further work to implement the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee's decisions regarding the Tibetan areas and to improve people's lives and promote comprehensive social development and long-term prosperity and stability in such areas.

Moreover, Yu said the relationship between development and stability should be properly balanced.

During his inspection, Yu visited local Tibetan communities and families. He chatted with local people and listened to their comments about social security, pensions, medicare and employment.

"The fundamental purpose to accelerate development in Tibetan areas is to improve people's livelihoods, and that should be regarded as a key benchmark to evaluate the quality of development," Yu said.

Yu said more funds and projects should be invested in farming and husbandry areas as well as grassroots units to increase the income of Tibetan farmers and herders.

When visiting a secondary school, Yu called on local schools to advance the bilingual Tibetan-Han teaching and to educate students to love the Party, the country and the Chinese nation.

Yu also visited representatives of local Buddhist circles, pledging to fully implement the CPC's policies to ensure religious freedom and administer religious affairs in accordance with the law.

The government and officials should unite religious followers, respect their beliefs and understand their customs, he said, adding that their legitimate rights and interests should be protected.

Yu called for efforts to help Buddhists recognize the nature and harm of the "middle way approach" and "high degree of autonomy" advocated by the 14th Dalai Lama clique.

He called on the Buddhists to oppose all secession attempts and acts intended to sabotage the CPC's leadership and socialist system, urging them to resolutely safeguard national and ethnic unity as well as social stability and harmony.