By NNN-PTI,
Cairo : Seeking to reach out to the Muslim world, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has said his country is determined to respect their belief and culture, amid criticism of the treatment meted out to the minority community in China.
Both the Islamic and the Chinese civilisations are treasures of the human civilisation and have made indelible contributions to the progress and development of the society, Wen said yesterday in an address to the Arab League headquarters here.
In his speech entitled ‘Respect Diversity of Civilisations’, he said that in China, more than 20 million people from 10 ethnic groups believe in Islam and their cultural tradition and way of life are fully respected.
Wen noted that there are over 35,000 mosques in cities and the countryside across China. “You can find Muslim restaurants in any Chinese city”.