Seventh-day Adventist world church President Ted N. C. Wilson affirmed that his church will maintain a cooperative relationship with China's officially recognized Protestant organizations, the China Christian Council (CCC) and the Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM).

"Although the Adventist Church has distinct doctrines, we are certainly open to cooperating with fellow Christians who are lifting up Christ," Wilson said following a meeting with representatives of the China Christian Council at Adventist Church General Conference headquarters on July 6.

The China Christian Council (CCC) was founded in 1980 as an umbrella organization for all Protestant churches in the People's Republic of China. The Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) is the patriotic Christian organization. Known in combination with the China Christian Council as the lianghui (two organizations), they form the only state-sanctioned (registered) Protestant church in mainland China.

While the Adventist Church established a relationship with the China Christian Council (CCC) in the mid-1990s, Council representatives for the first time attended a Adventist World Session, meeting in Atlanta, Georgia last week.

The visit helped cement the China Christian Council's perception of Adventists as a "mainstream" Protestant denomination, said Adventist world church General Vice President Eugene Hsu, a native of China.

"Even though China doesn't recognize denominational structure internally, the fact they allowed a delegation to attend Session shows they are aware of the global scope of the Adventist Church," Hsu said.

Maintaining "cordial relationships" and constructive dialogue with other Christian denominations' leaders facilitates mutual understanding among faith groups, leaders from the church's Public Affairs and Religious Liberty department said at the meeting.

The China Christian Council delegation included Xuebin Shen, vice chairperson of the organization's National Committee; Jun Wang, chairperson of its Shaanxi chapter; Zhiming Zhu, vice president of the Wuxi Christian Council; and Meiying Shi, secretary of the Overseas Relations department of the China Christian Council.

The delegation asked how Adventists relate to other denominations, and whether Adventist-run seminaries enroll non-Adventist students. Shen was impressed with the church's commitment to healthy living, adding that he might try a vegetarian diet for a year, Hsu said.

During the meeting, Wilson accepted an invitation to meet with China Christian Council and TSPM officials during a coming visit to the People's Republic of China. Nearly 400,000 Adventist Christians are believed to worship at thousands of locations across China. [Editors: Elizabeth Lechleitner and Chris Schaeffler for ANN/APD]