Zhang Chunxian, Party Secretary of the Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region, at a meeting of 700 Muslim, Buddhist and Christian religious leaders in Urumqi on June 14, 2015,  warned that "hostile forces" were stepping up their infiltration in the restive region and that their teaching must be "sinicised" to ensure social stability. Xinjiang Daily  quoted him as saying that "hostile forces" inside and outside China were using religion to engage in "destructive activities" in Xinjiang, and that leaders must steer religions forward with Chinese socialism and must work under socialism to serve economic development, social harmony, ethnic unity and the unification of the country. He exhorted them to "Immerse religions in the Chinese culture... in order that religions can develop in a normal and healthy way." He also asked religious leaders to strongly condemn "acts of violence in the name of Islam" and expose the work of violent terrorists and extremists. He added "They must understand that this is a serious political struggle between us and religious extremism and there is no room for negotiation." They "must first be the nation's citizens" before their role as believers.