Chinanews, Nanjing, June 21 – Chinese legal system guarantees people’s freedom in choosing their religious beliefs. Chinese people’s right to choose their religious beliefs is included as a basic right for citizens in the national constitution. At present, there are more than 100 million religious disciples in China and the number is still increasing, said Ismail Amat, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress(NPC), China's top legislature.He made the statement when delivering a speech at the Third Euro-Asia Conference on Dialogue between Different Regions.There are many religions in China. After years of development, the different religions have absorbed each others’ good qualities and co-existed with each other in a harmonious way, he said.In China, some religions are indigenous, such as Taoism; while some are introduced from other countries, such as Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, and Catholicism. In history, many of these foreign religions were brought to China through cultural exchanges. This reflects Chinese people’s pursuit of peace and harmony.Way back in ancient times,, some Chinese philosophers proposed the love for peace and respect for other people’s interests. Such idea had become deep rooted in Chinese culture over years imbuing Chinese culture with remarkable affinity and cohesiveness It allows different religious cultures to exist side by side, and it can also absorb new ideas from outside, the vice chairman said.As a country that has 1.3 billion population, 56 ethnic groups and different religions, it is really important for China to realize a long-term, steady development and prosperity by allowing different peoples with different religions to live together harmoniously. Chinese government and people from various circles of society, especially the religious circles have made unremitting efforts toward this the goal, he said.