A Sub-forum on Religion of Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021

CPPCC News (Correspondent Mao Lijun) On the morning of April 21^st, a sub-forum on religion of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2021, co-hosted by CRCCA and CCRP, and organized by Buddhist Association of Hainan Province, was held in Boao, Hainan.

 Ven. Yin Shun, an initiator of the sub-forum on religion, member of CCRP, Vice President of Buddhist Association of China, and President of Buddhist Association of Hainan Province, together with Lee Bun Sang Stephen, a representative of Catholic Church, and Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Macau, China, Grand Mullah Tumuniyazi Abudourekefu, a representative of Islam, member of CCRP, Vice President of China Islamic Association, and President of Xinjiang Islamic Association, Michael Levitt, winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, as well as the online guests, Rev. Kalebaode Naiseleh, Archimandrite of Gangaramaya Temple in Sri Lanka, Rushan Abyasov, First Vice President of Committee of All-Russian Muftiat Mission and Deputy Director of Department of Muslim Religious Affairs, Russian Federation, and H. H. Maha Sangharajah Bour Kry, Great Supreme Patriarch of Dhammayutta Order, Kingdom of Cambodia, jointly held an in-depth dialogue themed “Comprehension, Coordination, Cooperation - Wisdom and Responsibility of Religions in the Belt and Road Construction”.

 Yin Shun stressed that this year marks the 20^th anniversary of BFA, the first annual conference after the launch of Hainan Free Trade Port, and the sixth anniversary of the sub-forum on religion. In retrospect, the six sub-forums have called for promoting the exchanges and integration among Chinese, Tibetan, and Bali Buddhism, shared aspirations of Buddhism in the cross-straits four regions, and coexistence and common prosperity of major religions including Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, and Islam. By propelling dialogue with religious representatives of Asian countries and carrying out exchanges and mutual learning between Eastern and Western civilizations, all voices and opinions of civilizations and religions are brought onto the high-profile stage of BFA, contributing wisdom of religions to the mutual learning of civilizations along the “Belt and Road”.

 Both Xinjiang and Macau are major crossroads where religions from the East and the West spread and converge with cultures. Grand MullahTumuniyazi Abudourekefu and Bishop Lee Bun Sang Stephen respectively introduced the history of the sinicization of religions in Xinjiang and Macau, and delivered brilliant elaborations on the great love, good deeds and undertakings of Islam and Catholicism embodied in the “Belt and Road” initiative.

 As the online guests were deterred from paying a visit amid pandemic, they delivered video speeches to express gratitude to the “Belt and Road” initiative initiated by China for benefiting the world. In their speeches, they showed great love and undertakings by expressing their willingness to contribute the wisdom of religions to the exchanges and mutual learning of world civilizations.

 At the end of the meeting, all guests, online and on-site, made a joint appeal to opt for exchanges, mutual learning and coexistence of civilizations, instead of estrangement, conflicts and superiority of civilizations; deepen and promote the global aspirations for “peace” and “mutual learning”; foster new opportunities amid challenges and make new advances amid changes; benefit the people with benevolence, resolve disputes with wisdom; and join hands in seek of peace among all nations.