About 800 people, including Chinese and overseas Buddhists, scholars and journalists, will attend the event.

The forum will emphasize the positive roles of religious people in economic and social development, the Belt and Road Initiative and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, said Chen Zongrong, vice chairman of the China Religious Culture Communication Association.

This year's event will have ten subforums, covering topics such as Buddhism and marine silk road, Buddhism and environmental protection, Buddhism and a community with a shared future for mankind, according to Master Yanjue, vice president of the Buddhist Association of China.

Jointly proposed by Buddhist communities in Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao in 2005, the World Buddhist Forum was established as a platform for Buddhists to communicate and cooperate.

Source: www.xinhuanet.com