China’s policy advisory body turns 75

BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) — There is good news for farmers in Yinjiayuan, a village in east China’s Jiangsu Province. The cost of irrigation on their land has fallen by 20 percent and pump failures have decreased significantly – all thanks to a local political adviser.

Shi Weidong is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country’s political advisory body. As a former president of Nantong University in Jiangsu, he is also an expert in fluid machinery.

In 2023, Shi filed a proposal through the CPPCC, highlighting the benefits of using a digital twin platform—a virtual replica of physical systems—to improve the precision and efficiency of pump management. His suggestion has spurred a nationwide initiative to invest heavily in a broad water-saving infrastructure. This year alone, the country has begun building 23,000 rural water supply facilities.

Shi’s proposal offers insight into the important role of the CPPCC as an institutional platform for consultative democracy, a key element of China’s political system, alongside electoral democracy. According to political scientists, these two complementary aspects of socialist democracy allow China to better combine wisdom and strength for the overarching enterprise of modernization.

Consultative democracy takes many forms in China. For example, the government listens to ideas and opinions from all sectors in its planning, decision-making and administrative processes. As the CPPCC celebrates a milestone anniversary this year, many will be reviewing its pivotal role and growing list of accomplishments.

EFFECTIVE DEMOCRACY

The CPPCC plays an important role in multiparty political cooperation and consultation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Its members come from political parties, people’s organizations, non-party figures and various sectors of society. The CPPCC’s diverse membership includes political figures, celebrities and experts. Shi himself is a member of the Jiusan Society, a political party composed mainly of academics and researchers.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the CPPCC. On September 21, 1949, with great hopes for a bright future, more than 600 deputies from various sectors overcame obstacles to gather in Beijing.

Decades later, the CPPCC has been transformed and improved, allowing it to play a more effective role in governing the state.

One of its most significant recent developments is the addition of the Environment and Resources Sector to the CPPCC National Committee in 2023. This is one of the biggest changes to the Committee’s composition in 30 years. The last such change was the creation of the Economic Sector in 1993.

China has undergone comprehensive changes in ecological and environmental protection over the past decade. The country is making unprecedented efforts to protect its ecology. Establishing a new sector dedicated to this initiative would help combine efforts, facilitate research and promote consultation, experts from the CPPCC said.

Moreover, consultation topics have changed over time to respond to emerging national challenges and public concerns.

Zhang Yi, a Shanghai-based national policy adviser, has explored the ethical and legal implications of algorithms in detail.

Zhang is a partner at law firm King & Wood Mallesons and represents new social groups in the country.

Zhang submitted a proposal in March to govern AI algorithms. He recently presented a report on social trends and public sentiment regarding privacy protections. “It’s great to see my work as a political adviser transform into policies and measures that really advance the economy and society,” he said.

STRENGTHENING THE FOUNDATIONS

The CPPCC is also refining its core elements – institutions, standards and procedures – to facilitate detailed consultations.

Earlier this month, Beijing city policy advisers met to discuss how integrating AI and digital technologies could help the city respond to natural disasters and workplace accidents, one of 12 key topics highlighted by the CPC city committee and the government for consultation and deliberation this year.

In the summer of 2023, Beijing experienced its heaviest rainfall in more than 140 years. This year, torrential rains and winds again battered the city, uprooting trees and causing chaos on the city’s road network.

The political advisers began their investigation and research in March. It included 14 group and collaborative studies, 13 discussions, and research trips to Fujian and Guangdong provinces, which included political party members, academics, and non-CPC experts.

The vice mayor overseeing city administration, traffic, agriculture and rural areas attended the Sept. 6 session to gather advice. He was joined by officials from departments including water resources, emergency response, digital resources, fire department and meteorology.

Wei Xiaodong, chairman of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPPCC, encouraged participants to talk openly about problems and provide advice tailored to reality.

While most speakers focused on the application of technology, Zhang Chengfu, a professor at the School of Public Administration and Policy at Renmin University of China, warned against inappropriate development practices and over-reliance on technology.

A final report incorporating the session’s recommendations is expected to feed into a government plan to strengthen the city’s crisis response capacity over the next three years.

GREATER SOLIDARITY

As a legacy of the cooperation between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and other political parties and social entities during the revolutionary period, the Communist Party of China (CPPCC) is also the most inclusive patriotic united front organization.

China is currently undergoing profound changes in areas such as social structure, class relations, and ways of thinking. Combined with drastic global changes, these factors have made it difficult for the country to build unity and join forces.

On March 5, 2023, the new leaders of political parties outside the CPC and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce made their collective debut at a press conference during the first plenary session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee. They pledged to stand with the CPC through thick and thin and to build China into a modern socialist country in every respect.

Political advisers also play a key role in ensuring that honest exchanges of views that build consensus and strengthen unity take place at the grassroots level.

In Shanghai, they set up outdoor tables to gather public input on how to renovate the decades-old square in 2023. They also worked with neighborhood leaders and posted topics online.

When streetlights were quickly installed at the square at the request of older residents, “people realized that the authorities took their views seriously,” said a political adviser for the district, Li Peilei.

The quick resolution of the community issue inspired more members of the public to get involved in decisions about the logo and amenities of the square. The square has now been completely renovated. More importantly, residents have been made aware of the value of consultation in such processes.

During a 2018 trip to Hewan Village in Chongqing, southwest China, entrepreneur Shan Yi was struck by the stark contrast of cement houses amid hundreds of wooden stilt houses—the traditional home of the Tujia people. That jarring sight, coupled with stagnant local tourism due to poor management and inadequate facilities, inspired him to take action.

Shan himself identifies as a Tujia and runs a home services business in the city. Leaving his business in the care of his wife, Shan moved to Hewan Village. He soon set to work building a museum showcasing Tujia architecture and opened stilt houses to study successful models.

So far, the museum, which houses traditional structures including residences and academies, is beginning to take shape along the banks of a wide, winding river. And the village has received more than 50,000 visits in the first half of the year, generating more than 20 million yuan (about $2.8 million) in revenue.

“Personal and family issues aside, you have to do something for society in some way,” said Shan, who became a political adviser last year.

The CPPCC is also reaching out to the younger generation. For example, two students attended a session by Beijing’s policy advisers on crisis response on September 6.

This was part of an experimental program in which high school and university students are invited to observe CPPCC sessions.

Qi Xin, a sophomore at Miyun High School, affiliated with Capital Normal University, is very interested in public management. He signed up as soon as he heard about the opportunity.

“I noticed how CPPCC members shared the realities of their communities,” he said. “The will of the people is respected and reflected here.”