The Party's Work with Social Organizations*

July 6, 2015

Socialism with Chinese characteristics is a cause for all Chinese people, and the Party's work with social groups undertakes a solemn mission in this regard. Organizations such as trade unions, the Communist Youth League and women's federations must free their minds, be persistent in reform and innovation, forge ahead with determination and a down-to-earth approach, continue and enhance their work under the Party's leadership, and remain progressive, pioneering and people-oriented. They should also mobilize and organize the people to unite around the Party more closely, turn public aspirations for a better life into a great motivating power, and open a new chapter in realizing the Two Centenary Goals and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

This is the first time that the CPC Central Committee has held such a conference, and the meeting's major tasks are to identify and analyze new issues concerning the Party's work with social groups in the new era, to implement the "Opinions on Strengthening and Improving the Party's Work with Social Organizations", to summarize successful experience, to solve outstanding problems, and to promote reform and innovation. The work of social groups is an important part of the Party's work. It is through social groups that the Party mobilizes the people to achieve its central tasks. This is one of our Party's great inventions, as well as a part of its major strengths. In each historical period of revolution, construction and reform, organizations including trade unions, the Communist Youth League and women's federations, under the leadership of the CPC, have played a positive role, mobilized the people to firmly follow the Party's leadership, and made a great contribution to the cause of the Party and people. Prevailing conditions require that in the future, the Party's work with social groups should be improved, not weakened or allowed to stagnate. We must strengthen and improve it according to changing circumstances and new missions, and give full play to the role of the working class as the main force, the role of young people as the vital force, the role of womenfolk as "half the sky", and the role of talented individuals as the key human resource, thus fully arousing the enthusiasm of our 1.3 billion people. We must work better with social groups for the purpose of consolidating the class foundation and popular support for the Party's governance, and make sure that the Party always shares weal and woe with the people. We must give our help to social groups which will become more dynamic so that they can play an important role in the modernization of state governance and improvement of our capability.

We must fully commend past achievements in the Party's work with social groups, while at the same time be conscious of the need to address existing problems, especially the risk of becoming alienated from the people. Trade unions, the Communist Youth League, women's federations and other social groups should be bold and innovative, and consolidate and expand the achievements of the Program of Mass Line Education and the special education with the Three Guidelines for Ethical Behavior and Three Basic Rules of Conduct. They must focus on in-depth theoretical education, problem solving, and innovation of institutions, adjust their own thinking, enhance their public consciousness, and improve their working practices and performance.

We must maintain and enhance the political nature of the Party's work with social groups. The political role is the soul and primary feature of social groups. Social groups should always place themselves under the leadership of the Party and be consistent with the CPC Central Committee in politics, thought and action. They should safeguard the Central Committee's authority, implement the Party's will and propositions, abide by political disciplines and rules, withstand all trials and tribulations, guide the people to implement the Party's instructions and follow the Party's leadership, and unite their own people around the Party in the closest and most extensive way.

The path Chinese social groups have traversed is a concrete demonstration of the Party's work with social groups. It is a path formed and developed by the Party over long years of experience in the development of trade unions, youth movements, and women's federations. This is commensurate with China's national conditions and historical development trend. We must maintain the Party's leadership over social groups, ensure that social groups play a role of bridge and bond between the Party and the people, accomplish the central task of economic development and serve the overall interests of the country, uphold the lifeline of serving the people, keep abreast with the times and persist in reform and innovation, and remain independent and self-reliant in their work according to law and their charters. Party organizations should encourage social groups to be fully effective, and social groups should be active and achieve good results in their work.

We must maintain and enhance the advanced nature of social groups. Trade unions, the Communist Youth League and women's federations are organizations under the Party's direct leadership. Shouldering the great responsibility of mobilizing the public to accomplish the Party's central task, they must focus on maintaining and enhancing their advanced nature. Social groups should grasp the theme of our time, which is striving for the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation, serve the overall interests of the Party and the country, mobilize the people to advance in the forefront of the time, and make accomplishments in the frontline of reform, development and stability. Social groups must let the more advanced lead the less advanced, replace ignorance and backwardness with cultural progress, and combat the false, the evil and the ugly with the true, the good and the beautiful. Social groups must educate and guide the people to improve their theoretical and moral awareness, stick to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, champion the core socialist values, and become the strong backer, powerful supporter and profound social foundation for the Party in its governance.

Social groups in China should always share the same stance with the Party and the people, take on the Party's cares and concerns, and work for the wellbeing of the people. They should bear in mind theoretical and political awareness, organize, educate and guide the people, carry out more publicity among the people, and strive to unite the people, build consensus, pull their strength together, resolve conflicts, improve relationships, and stimulate motivation.

We must maintain and enhance the public nature of social groups, which is their defining uniqueness. In the work and activities of social groups, people should be leading actors rather than supporting casts or audience. Social groups should pay more attention to and care more for the people, pay frequent visits to them, have face-to-face and heart-to-heart contacts with them, and develop sincere relationships with them. Social groups must improve organizational work, especially at the grassroots level, and speed up the work in emerging social sectors. Social groups and their staff, especially those at leading positions, should work at the grassroots to learn about the people's true living conditions, becoming practitioners of the Party's principle of serving the people, executers of the Party's mass line, and experts in the Party's work for the people.

Social groups must look downward towards the grassroots, reform and improve the institutional setup, their management and operations, and give more help to the grassroots in terms of service and resources. They must keep in touch with related social organizations and offer them their guidance. Attention must be paid to the scope of participation and representation of the people at the grassroots in public activities. They should recruit more outstanding people from the general public, and place them mainly to the grassroots organizations.

Social groups should serve the overall interests of the Party and the country, and think and act for these interests. At the same time they should focus their work on their responsibilities and their contacts with the people, and improve their work along with the change of the time. They should strengthen their sense of service and their ability to render service, find more service resources, work to meet the needs of the people, pay more attention to people in straitened circumstances, and resolve the people's difficulties and anxieties, becoming trustworthy, reliable, intimate and inseparable friends of the people.

Party committees at all levels should recruit for social groups competent people of integrity regardless of their social status. They should improve the training and management method, select and appoint qualified leadership, and improve the overall quality of the staff. People working in social groups should increase their theoretical and ethical level, have firm belief in their ideals and convictions, be strict with themselves, implement the Three Guidelines for Ethical Behavior and Three Basic Rules of Conduct, and resist the Four Malfeasances.

Party committees at all levels should strengthen and improve the Party's leadership over social groups so as to enable them to better serve the overall interests of the Party and the country. They should maintain centralized leadership over social groups, joint management by Party committees and governments, division of responsibilities among departments, and the exemplary role of Party members, enabling social groups to fulfill their duties. Party committees and governments at all levels should create favorable conditions for the work of social groups. They should understand how social groups work, improve rules and regulations concerning Party committees' leadership over social groups, and raise the level of the Party's work with social groups.

* Main points of the speech at the CPC Central Committee's conference on the Party's work with social organizations.

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