China announced in Beijing Friday that the establishment of the country's first ever national association to help promote and disseminate information about the country's religious cultures overseas.

As a non-profit social organization, the China Religious Culture Communication Association (CRCCA) will mainly work as a new platform for the country's religions to carry out outbound religious cultural exchanges with various organizations overseas in an extensive and in-depth way.

Ye Xiaowen, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs of China, was elected the president of the association, with three paramount Chinese religious celebrities as honor presidents.

The three figures are bishop Fu Tieshan, chairman of the Catholic Patriotic Association of China, Pagbalha Geleg Namgyae, a renowned Tibetan living Buddha and bishop Ding Guangxun with the China Christian Council.

"We will devote ourselves to promoting religious cultural exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese mainland and all social circles, especially religious ones, from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and other parts of the world," said the constitution of CRCCA.

Its other task is to tell the world the truth about China's treatment of religious worship and explain the country's policies about religious freedom.

"In my view, the association will surely facilitate better use of both governmental and religious resources in China and further exploration of the helpful values and traditions in Chinese religions," said Fu Tieshan.

"As a result, the groundless slander against China about religious affairs will be naturally refuted, mutual understanding will be enhanced, misunderstanding removed and friends will be made," said Fu, who praised the association as a timely and necessary new channel for the country's religious undertaking.

"There are many friendly religious leaders or bodies in almost every one of the more than 60 countries and regions we've contacted in the past more than 20 years," said Chen Zuming, secretary-general of the China Association for International Friendly Contact.

"They do want further their religious cultural exchanges with China," he said.

According to Zhuo Xinping, a professor specializing in religion studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, religious cultural exchange has long played a role as a prerequisite for dialogue, understanding and communications between different religions in history.

"In the context of globalization, religious cultural exchanges should be viewed as a major element that will help promote world peace and mutual understanding among people," he said.

"To that end, people from different religions, races and nations need to improve their mutual understanding through equal and friendly exchanges, including religious cultural exchanges," said Chen Guangyuan, president of the China Islamic Association.

(Xinhua News Agency December 31, 2005)