On 21 March, Ambassador Liu Jin met with Hon. Sheikh Essa Foday Darboe, President of The Gambia Supreme Islamic Council.

H.E. Ambassador Liu extended Ramadan greetings to Hon. Darboe and said that under the leadership of H.E. President Barrow, The Gambian government respects and protects freedom of religious beliefs, achieving peaceful coexistence among religions and making positive contributions to the prosperity and stability of the country. China has a population of more than 20 million Muslims, who live in harmony with other ethnic groups and whose rights, including religious beliefs, are fully protected. Some Western countries have concocted lies on Xinjiang issues under the banner of human rights, which are totally fake. China is willing to strengthen religious exchanges and cooperation with The Gambia and continuously enhance mutual understanding and support.

Hon. Darboe welcomed H.E. Ambassador Liu's visit on the eve of Ramadan and introduced the work of Gambia Supreme Islamic Council, saying that the Council is committed to promoting the positive role of religion in promoting social stability and national development in The Gambia and opposing religious extremism. He expressed his gratitude to China for the selfless assistance to the development of The Gambia in various fields, appreciated the Chinese government's respect and protection of freedom of religious belief and the harmonious coexistence of various ethnic groups in China, and expressed his willingness to strengthen exchanges and cooperation between the religious communities in The Gambia and China after the pandemic.

H.E. Ambassador Liu also briefed Hon. Darboe on the Global Civilization Initiative recently proposed by H.E. President Xi Jinping, saying that China will work with other countries, including The Gambia, to respect the diversity of civilizations, advocate the common values of humanity, cherish the inheritance and innovation of civilizations, and promote robust international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.