Fourth World Buddhist Forum to open in E. China

The Fourth World Buddhist Forum is scheduled to open in the eastern Chinese city of Wuxi in October, a statement from the State Administration for Religious Affairs said Sunday.

The forum, with the theme of "exchange with common aspiration," is aimed at discussing the positive role of Buddhist thought in solving the problems that affect the lives and development of human beings.

Jiang Jianyong, vice chairman of the China Religious Culture Communication Association, told a press conference that he hoped the activities held at the forum would highlight Buddhism's impact on promoting economic development, social harmony and and cultural prosperity.

It will be the second time for Wuxi to host the event. The city in Jiangsu Province hosted the Second World Buddhist Forum on March 28, 2009.

The First World Buddhist Forum was held in the Chinese cities of Hangzhou and Zhoushan in Zhejiang Province in April, 2006.

The grand event has played a significant role in the history of Buddhism in China, which has been developed for more than two thousand years.