Senior Chinese leader Wang Huning on Tuesday called on the Buddhist community to contribute wisdom and strength to world peace and human progress.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the sixth World Buddhist Forum in Ningbo City, east China's Zhejiang Province.

Wang expressed his hope that the Buddhist community would foster dialogue and exchange among civilizations while advocating for the harmonious coexistence of different religions.

Wang emphasized that China adheres to the policy of freedom of religious belief and encourages and supports the religious community to conduct international exchanges on the basis of independence, equality, friendship and mutual respect.

The Chinese government supports the participation of the Chinese Buddhist community in global religious and cultural dialogues as well as friendly exchanges with Buddhist communities in other countries in order to promote people-to-people exchanges and enhance mutual understanding, said Wang.

Prior to the opening ceremony, Wang met with representatives participating in the forum.

About 800 representatives, experts and scholars from 72 countries and regions in the Buddhist community attended the forum.