A Chinese expert voiced opposition to proposed legislation on the production and management of halal food, saying that it could damage the principle…

A Chinese expert voiced opposition to proposed legislation on the production and management of halal food, saying that it could damage the principle of the separation of religion from politics

Xi Wuyi, an expert on Marxism at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, recently wrote on her Sina Weibo account that she advises against national legislation on halal food

Xi said such legislation "violates the principle of separation of State and religion" and if the bill is enacted, it will interfere with the practices of religious followers in different regions and may threaten "China’s national security strategy."

She refused an interview request from the Global Times on Sunday, explaining that the topic is too "sensitive."

The State Council entrusted the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) with drafting national regulations on halal food in 2002

After reviewing a proposal by lawmakers saying that disputes were triggered by issues related to halal food, the Ethnic Affairs Committee of the NPC suggested speeding up passage of the legislation in both 2012 and 2015, saying that the legislation is "reasonable and necessary" as it relates to "national unity and social stability," according to the committee’s official website

Several Muslims smashed the facilities of a bakery in Xining, Northwest China’s Qinghai Province in May 2015 after discovering non-halal ingredients, such as pork sausages and ham, in its delivery van

Hundreds of Muslims in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, also took to the streets in May 2015 to demand a ban on local halal restaurants’ sale of alcoholic beverages, which are forbidden by the Koran

Ma Yuxiang and Ma Zhipeng, professors at Northwest University for Nationalities in Lanzhou, called for the legislation in 2014, saying misconduct by halal restaurants has jeopardized national unity

However, Wei Dedong, vice-dean of the School of Philosophy at the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times that a national regulation would authorize the secular government to define Islam-related issues, stressing that the legislation should be "cautious."