Chen Quanguo, Party Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region pointed out at a work meeting on April 25 that efforts should be made to implement the policies and measures benefiting temples, monks and nuns, and cultivate an array of religious figures to love both their country and religions, China Tibet News reported.

The meeting came after the National Conference on the Work of Religions held from April 22 to 23. At the meeting, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping explicitly proposed the socialist theory on religions with Chinese characteristics, outlining an overall plan for strengthening and improving the religious work.

Chen stressed that religious affairs carry "special importance" in the work of the Communist Party of China CPC and must be handled properly by the CPC in its governance of the country; religious affairs should be managed in accordance with the law; the principle of religious independence and self-administration should be observed, adapting religions to the socialist society should be carried out. Guidance should be given to the religious believers to love their motherland and the people, safeguard national unification, maintain the unity of the Chinese nation, and serve the national interests and the overall interests of the Chinese nation. Moreover, religious followers should uphold the leadership of the CPC and the socialism system, adhere to socialism with Chinese characteristics, and make efforts to integrate religious doctrines with Chinese culture. Furthermore, lawful rights and interests of religious believers should be protected; publicity on the rule of law should be carried out in depth, and the legal awareness of religious figures and believers should be enhanced. Chen also insisted that monks and nuns are citizens, relatives and friends, for whom various measures benefiting them should be carried out.