China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin urged the country's religious circles to organize high-level teams for overseas exchanges as the first session of the Third China Committee on Religion and Peace (CCRP) kicked off Thursday.

Jia Qinglin (Front R), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, shakes hands with representatives of the first session of the third China Committee on Religion and Peace in Beijing, capital of China, on Sept. 10, 2009. [Xinhua]

Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, congratulated the newly-elected CCRP leaders and extended his best wishes to all religious people across the country.

"With the support of the (Communist) Party and the government, the CCRP has been strengthening the cooperation and exchange with other countries' religious circles and making China's religious policies known to the world," said Jia.

He called upon CCRP members to enhance communication with overseas friends and contributed their abilities and wisdom to ensuring the country's ethnic unity, religious harmony and social stability.

The CCRP was founded in July 1994 and consists of representatives from the country's five religious groups: Buddhists, Taoists, Islamites, Catholics and Protestants.

(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2009)