President Xi Jinping studied the sinicization of Buddhism and the integrated development of culture and tourism on Monday during his inspection tour in Luoyang City, central China's Henan Province.
At the ancient White Horse Temple, first built in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learned in detail about the sinicization of Buddhism and the temple's efforts to protect cultural relics.
The White Horse Temple witnessed how Buddhism was introduced to China and has continuously developed in its assimilation with the Chinese culture and society, Xi said.
History has proven that it is entirely correct to adhere to the direction of sinicizing religions in China, Xi said, urging efforts to actively guide religions to be fused into fine traditional Chinese culture and get adapted to China's socialist society.
Xi also came to the Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site with a history of over 1,500 years.
He observed the overall layout and outlook of the grottoes, as well as representative niches and statues, and had a cordial exchange with the on-site cultural relic workers, urging efforts to protect, pass on and disseminate these treasures of Chinese culture.
The president also spoke with tourists at the Longmen Grottoes, and encouraged children to visit cultural sites more often to explore Chinese culture and build cultural confidence from a young age.
Pointing out the broad prospects of integrated development of culture and tourism, Xi called for efforts to promote high-quality development of the cultural tourism industry, so that the sector can truly support the local economy, improve people's livelihood, and bring happiness to people.
Xi studies sinicization of Buddhism, cultural tourism in Henan
Xi studies sinicization of Buddhism, cultural tourism in Henan
Cooperation with China has greatly contributed to Botswana's economic development, and the southern African country can tap into its huge potential by learning lessons and experiences from China, Minister of International Relations of Botswana Phenyo Butale said in Beijing on Friday.
As this year marks the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and Botswana, Butale reflected on the development of the bilateral relations and outlined future cooperation between the two countries in an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN).
"We have been enjoying excellent relations with the People's Republic of China. And our analysis and evaluation of the relationship is that it has been a relationship that has been mutually beneficial. It has been a win-win relationship. We have benefited a lot from, first of all, China's wisdom, China's experience," he said.
Botswana is looking to China's development model for inspiration as it gears up to diversify its economy, said the minister.
"We have our own ambitious plan of industrialization, or industrializing rapidly, job creation, digitization of our economy, and massive infrastructure upgrades. All these, we believe, are a journey that China, as a country, has traveled through, and we are looking forward to learning and leveraging on our relations," he said.
Noting that China is one of Botswana's major trading partners, the minister said that trade and economic exchanges between the two countries have contributed to Botswana's transformation and social development.
"It will contribute and it has contributed immensely to our development. We also know that the situation where China is currently in terms of the ability of the economy to be so resilient is something that inspires us. You know that Botswana has been, to a large extent, a single commodity economy, dependent largely on diamonds. We now have to implement diversification, we have to ensure that we take part in downstream industries, and diamonds and other minerals, to which we are inviting China," Butale said.
The momentum of China-Botswana cooperation is growing stronger, bringing tangible benefits to both countries while also providing a crucial impetus for broader China-Africa cooperation.
"We have seen ourselves as the gateway to Southern Africa, the gateway to Africa. Many Chinese companies could then be interested in setting up shops in Botswana, setting up manufacturing plants in Botswana, and launching into the big Southern African markets," he said.
Cooperation with China contributes to Botswana's development: FM
