President of Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Chad Visits China

In pleasantly cool October， a Chadian delegation led by Cheikh Hissein， President of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Chad (SCIAC)， paid a visit to Beijing， Yinchuan and Lanzhou.

About 70 percent of the Chadian population is Muslim. The SCIAC enjoys an important position in Chad and gets government financial support and aid from international organizations. It dedicates itself to the popularization of Islam， eradication of illiteracy， solution of social conflicts and promotion of social and economic development in Chad. At present， five percent of Chad’s oil revenue used for popularization of education and Islam is controlled and operated by the SCIAC.

In 2007 the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) made exploration in Chad and found proven oil reserves of about 200 million barrels. In 2011 the oil refinery of China-Chad joint investment went into formal production. If Chad’s abundant oil resources are exploited， the country’s potential for economic development is immense.

This was President Cheikh Hissein’s first visit to China. Accompanying him were reporters from the Chad National TV Station. The party made an official call on the Islamic Association of China and the State Ethnic Affairs Commission， visited the Mosque at Niujie in Beijing， the Mosque at Najiahu in Ningxia and the Mosque in Lanzhou and prayed with the local people. They were deeply impressed by the harmonious coexistence of China’s different ethnic groups， particularly the happy life of the Hui ethnic group. China’s nationality policy featuring tolerance， freedom and openness left a deep impression.

The Chadian friends admired greatly what they had seen and heard in China， and hoped to strengthen the friendship between the two peoples. They said their visit to China would be made into TV programs and broadcast on Chad National TV.

In Lanzhou， the Chadian friends visited the solar energy base of the Gansu Natural Energy Research Institute (GNERI). This was in connection with the “Lighting Africa” project sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce that aims to train local officials and technicians in the energy sector. The project offers six training classes a year with each course lasting two months.

Chad is located in the sub-Sahara region. Thanks to its dry climate， the country is abundant in solar energy. To generate electricity by utilizing solar energy and cook food with solar cookers are important to environmental protection and preservation of energy resources for Chad， which faces increasingly serious vegetation degradation. Xi Wenhua， Director of the GNERI， said that his institute was willing to provide Chad with solar energy technology and products， and invited Chadians to take part in the training classes on solar energy. President Hissein expressed his appreciation to the Chinese side for its support， saying that he would make active efforts to promote cooperation with the Solar Energy Base of GNERI.

The contacts between the CPAFFC and the Chadian non-governmental organizations were suspended for 20 years; however through SCIAC President Hissein’s visit to China this time， the ties of friendship have been restored. There is much confidence that the future contacts between the two organizations will bear rich fruits.