BEIJING - President Xi Jinping has stressed upholding the principle of developing religions in the Chinese context, and providing active guidance for the adaptation of religions to socialist society.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while addressing a national conference on work related to religious affairs, held from Friday to Saturday in Beijing.

Xi highlighted fully implementing the Party's theory on religious affairs in the new era, the basic policy on religious affairs, and the policy on the freedom of religious belief.

He required religious groups to strengthen their self-management and emphasized the need to improve the rule of law in religious affairs governance.