On April 17, Jia Qinglin, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, spoke at a forum on the Party’s religion work attended by provincial level party leaders.
Jia emphasized that all levels of party committees and government bodies should understand the overall and strategic importance of religion work under the current environment. They should further strengthen and exercise the Party’s leadership in religion work; strengthen research and investigation of the current status of various religions; pay attention to religion work at the ground level; strengthen the support of patriotic religious organizations; fully encourage and utilize personnel within those organizations to play active roles to bridge the connections between the government body and religious believers to ensure stability among religions.
Jia also instructed that it is required that they should actively engage in building friendly relations with religions from overseas and be on guard against foreign forces using religion for espionage.
Source: Xinhua, April 17, 2009
http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2009-04/17/content_11200560_1.htm