Prioritize the People’s Wellbeing in Chinese Modernization

Prioritize the People’s Wellbeing in Chinese Modernization*

October 2022-October 2024

I

The whole Party should further apply the people-centered philosophy of development and give higher priority to common prosperity as specified at the 20th CPC National Congress. We should make sustained and steady efforts, do all we can within our capacity, and make more notable and substantive progress towards this goal through high-quality development.

(from the speech at the First Plenary Session of the 20th CPC
Central Committee, October 23, 2022)

II

I lived and worked in rural northern Shaanxi for seven years. In those days, as I witnessed the hardships of local villagers, I always thought about how to help them achieve a better life. During this visit to Yan’an, I have seen bumper harvests, better transport, and many other momentous changes. In the past, the villagers worked their terraces and grew their crops; they bent to the loess with their backs to the sky; they plied their hoes; they sowed much yet reaped little. It was a hard life. Today, marginal farmland has been turned into forests, with apple trees planted on the slopes. The adults have jobs and stable incomes, the children receive a proper education, and the elderly enjoy medical insurance – all lead much better lives. These changes in northern Shaanxi reflect what is happening throughout the country.

Now, as we have realized the First Centenary Goal of all-round moderate prosperity, eliminated absolute poverty, and led the rural residents to a better life, we should work harder to allow all our people to enjoy a more fulfilling life.

The Communist Party of China is a political party that comes from the people and serves the people. As the governing party in China, the CPC acts for the benefit of the people and in their best interests. Empty talk harms the country while solid work makes it flourish. We should study and apply the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, advance rural revitalization across the board, ensure the effective implementation of policies to bring prosperity, accelerate agricultural and rural modernization, and lead rural residents to a more prosperous life.

(from the speech during a visit to Yan’an, Shaanxi Province,
October 26, 2022)

III

Over the past 70 years, under the Party’s leadership, our public health campaigns have focused on safeguarding the people’s health and preventing epidemics. They have played an indispensable role in improving environmental health in urban and rural areas, responding to major epidemics, and strengthening public health governance. I hope that our public health professionals will continue to honor their responsibilities, carry forward their fine traditions, expand their expertise, update their working practices, and make a greater contribution to the Healthy China initiative.

(from the directive on public health campaigns, December 25, 2022)

IV

Respecting and caring for the elderly is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation. The happiness of a society is, to a large extent, reflected by the happiness of the elderly. As China is increasingly becoming an aging society, it is essential to guarantee that the elderly can enjoy their twilight years to the full. To achieve this, we must bolster eldercare programs and industries and boost public eldercare institutions and inclusive eldercare services. In particular, we must ensure the basic living standards of those elderly who subsist on government support in part or in full, who are of advanced age, and who suffer from functional impairments.

(from the speech via video link to grassroots officials and communities
before the Spring Festival, January 18, 2023)

V

Meeting the people’s aspirations for a better life is our ultimate goal. The essence of reform and development is to ensure that the people enjoy better lives. Reforms should be planned and implemented from the perspective of the people’s overall, fundamental, and long-term interests. Following the Party’s mass line in the new era, we should pay close attention to the issues of greatest concern to the people, such as employment, income growth, education, medical care, housing, government services, childcare, eldercare, and personal and property safety. Identifying key reform areas and breakthrough points that address these pressing issues, we should introduce more initiatives that meet urgent public needs and reflect the people’s expectations. We should also carry out projects that benefit the people, win their appreciation, and align with their wishes, so that reform brings the public a greater sense of gain, fulfillment and security.

(from the speech at a meeting attended by representatives of businesses
and academia, held in Jinan, Shandong Province,
May 23, 2024)

VI

On the new journey in the new era to build a great country and realize national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization, our comprehensive efforts will undoubtedly provide better conditions for China’s sports sector and inject robust momentum into its growth. We will continue to boost people-centered sports programs, integrate national fitness and health initiatives, and build China into a healthy nation and sporting powerhouse.

(from the speech at a meeting with the Chinese sports delegation to
the 33rd Summer Olympic Games, August 20, 2024)

VII

Improving the people’s wellbeing is the top priority of Chinese modernization. On our new journey in the new era, Party committees and governments at all levels must maintain their commitment to the people-centered approach to civil affairs, and strengthen their leadership over this work. We should reinforce people-oriented projects that provide inclusive public services, meet people’s essential needs, and guarantee basic living standards for those in need. We should address the people’s most pressing and immediate concerns, and raise the quality of our civil affairs undertakings. To achieve this goal, civil affairs departments at all levels must uphold the Party’s leadership, strengthen their Party organizations, promote deeper reform, and pursue innovation. They should improve the policy and institutional framework, and the systems of service, supervision and regulation, and encourage society-wide participation. They should implement a proactive national strategy in response to population aging, and improve their ability to manage social assistance, social welfare, social affairs, and social governance. They should address tough issues, benefit the people, and make their due contribution to building a great country and advancing national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization.

(from the directive on civil affairs work, October 23, 2024)

* Excerpts from speeches made between October 2022 and October 2024.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)