CAIRO - A cultural delegation from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region attended a seminar at the Chinese embassy in Cairo on Monday to enhance mutual understanding.

　　Xu Guixiang, vice-secretary-general of the Chinese Overseas Friendship Association and head of the delegation, briefed attendees on Xinjiang's history and customs and on government's economic, social, ethnic and religious policies for Xinjiang.

　　Xu said the visit was intended to promote understanding of Xinjiang to Egyptians and to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

　　Xinjiang is a multiethnic, multicultural and multireligious region, where different religious groups live in peaceful coexistence with equal status, he said.

　　"However, extremist thoughts - the basis of separatism and terrorism - have caused great damage to Xinjiang. These thoughts must be uprooted according to relevant laws," he said.

　　Xu dismissed untrue reports about Xinjiang, saying they were written and disseminated by people unfamiliar with Xinjiang. He encouraged people to better understand Xinjiang through communication and visits.

　　Mansour Abo Alazzm, managing editor of the Arabic Al-Ahram daily and a member of the Egyptian-Chinese Friendship Association, shared his experiences during a 2015 visit.

　　In Xinjiang, he said, he saw for himself the Chinese government's efforts to protect religious rights and the region's development.