Visiting Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, together with hundreds of Chinese Muslims, attended Friday afternoon's service in the 1,000-year-old Niujie Mosque in southern Beijing.

The Indonesian president was warmly welcomed by the Chinese Muslims upon his arrival. Afterwards, he met with Wan Yaobin, vice chairman and secretary general of the Islamic Association of China, and said he hopes that Chinese Muslims will contribute more to the development of their country.

The mosque is located on Niujie Street, an area mainly inhabited by Muslims. It has received more than 30,000 visitors from more than 100 countries and regions, including heads of state of southeast Asia, west Asia and north Africa, over the past two decades.

The half-hour service, led by Imam Yang Guanjun, was held in a main hall which has columns carved with the Koran.

The Beijing Municipal Government has allocated a lot of money to remodel the mosque in recent years. Moreover, a new project was launched last year to renovate the Niujie Street area near the mosque. After the service, President Wahid went to the Diaoyutai State

Guest House to meet Chinese and Indonesian entrepreneurs. (Xinhua)