KUALA LUMPUR: Chinese ambassador to Malaysia Ouyang Yujing today praised Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for playing an instrumental role in promoting civilisational dialogue, cooperation and greater understanding between Islam and Confucianism.
He said the prime minister, on various occasions, had been actively promoting and calling for mutual exchanges, understanding and learning between different ethnicities, religions and civilisations.
Anwar, he said, has been an advocate for greater consensus amongst people of different religious beliefs and background to work together and jointly build a harmonious and diverse environment.
"The leaders of China and Malaysia attach great importance to civilisation dialogue. In March this year, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Anwar reached an important consensus on jointly building a community with a shared future between China and Malaysia and deepening exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Islamic civilisation.
"Anwar is well-versed in Chinese history, has a deep understanding of Confucianism and highly admires Confucian classics such as The Analects and Mencius.
"He has long been actively promoting dialogue and exchanges between Islam and Confucianism, emphasising the importance of 'Islam-Confucianism dialogue' on various occasions," he said in his speech at the 2023 Islam-Confucianism Leadership Dialogue here.
Both Chinese and Islamic civilisations, said Ouyang, were ancient civilisations with significant global influence which shoulder the important responsibility of promoting the progress of human civilisation and forging international consensus for peace.
"The exchanges between Chinese civilisation and Islamic civilisation date back for centuries. Our exchanges enjoy a deep historical foundation and solid support from our people.
"More than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Silk Road crossing Asia and Europe connected trade and cultures between the East and the West, promoting dialogue and integration between different civilisations. More than 1,300 years ago, Islam was introduced to China.
"It integrated and developed in harmony with Chinese Confucian culture, which was the main part of Chinese civilisation," he said.
Ouyang also extended a "warm welcome" to people from Islamic nations to visit Xinjiang to see the truth about China's freedom of religious belief.
Similar to Malaysia, he said, China places great importance on the preservation and inheritance of the languages and cultural practices of all ethnic groups in the republic.
He said Xinjiang was one of the major settlements for Chinese Muslims in the people's republic.
"The government of China attaches great importance to the development and construction of Xinjiang, ensuring all ethnic groups enjoy their lawful rights of religious beliefs, ethnic cultures, languages and employment.
"All ethnic groups, regardless of their population, have the same legal status and enjoy various rights in accordance with the law, including participation in the management of state affairs, freedom of religious belief, receiving education, using their own languages, and preserving their traditional culture.
"I would like to extend a warm welcome to you all to visit Xinjiang. I believe that the kind and wise people of the Islamic countries will see the truth with your own eyes.
Anwar delivered his keynote address at the 2023 ICDL, which was jointly organised by Al-Ghazali Chair of Islamic Epistemology and Civilisational Studies and Renewal, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation of International Islamic University of Malaysia (ISTAC-IIUM), Centre Of Regional Strategic Studies (Cross) and the Southeast Asia Research Centre for Humanities.