BEIJING, June 8th (ABP) – Over 60 African youth representatives who attended the 8th China-Africa Youth Festival in the People’s Republic of China, and around 30 journalists from different countries of Africa, took part, on May 24, 2024 in Wuyi county of Jinhua city in Zhejiang province, in the session of the platform for consultation which brought together the people’s representatives and the members of Wuyi County-level Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) to discuss issues related to the people’s livelihood.
Before the consultation meeting, the president of Wuyi Committee of CPPCC, Mr. Li Yangyong, warmly welcomed the young Africans to Tatou village to witness how democracy works in China. “Tatou village is a global example of human settlement and a demonstration village for rural governance in China “, he said.
Mr. Li told the guests that the experience of Wuyi’s poverty reduction experience was ” the best county sample of China’s poverty reduction strategy innovation”. This poverty reduction strategy innovation was promoted in South Africa at the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the Global Poverty Reduction Conference, and has also attracted government officials from 34 countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to come to Wuyi to communicate with the county’s authorities, he disclosed.
That government official in Wuyi county clarified that CPPCC, as a multi-party cooperation and political consultation institution led by the Communist Party of China (CPC), is an important channel for socialist consultative democracy, and is also an important form to realize the whole-process people’s democracy. ” Today, we hold the ‘People’s Livelihood Consultation Hall’ activity here, which is an innovative practice of the CPPCC’s participation in the whole-process people’s democracy and grassroots social governance “, he explained.
The function of the People’s Livelihood Consultation Hall is to serve as a platform to discuss politics, a channel to unite people’s hearts, a window to reflect public opinions, and a bridge to serving the public. It makes the CPPCC consultation extend to the township level, opens up the effective service channel of CPPCC consultation for grassroots governance, and realizes that the public can participate in the whole-process of issues related to their own vital interests, which highlights the true essence of democracy that “Issues can be discussed, and the issues related to the people should be discussed by the people “, Mr. Li told the guests.
He further clarified that there are six steps of the People’s Livelihood Consultation Hall to take into consideration, that is, determining the topics about the livelihood issues which are urgent, difficult, worrying, and desired; forming consultation activity plans; conducting research and investigation before consultation; and inviting government departments, committee members, relevant interest groups to consult. After consultation, sorting out opinions and submitting them to relevant townships and government departments is required; and within three months after consultation, relevant departments and townships will give the feedback, he added.
” During the practice to solve difficult issues such as regional commonality and assistance development, our county has innovated a cross-regional consultation mechanism of “six joints”, that is to say, joint determination of topics, joint review of plans, joint investigation, joint consultation, joint sharing of achievements, and joint supervision “, Mr. Li said, adding that they push the consultation to set up the systems, norms and procedures, and actively explore the path to realize the whole-process people’s democracy. ” Our experience was selected as an “innovation case” for the work of the CPPCC in 2022 “, he told the guests.
Features of the People’s Livelihood Consultation Hall
Mr. Li disclosed four unique features of the People’s Livelihood Consultation Hall. The first feature is that the People’s Livelihood Consultation Hall focuses on a people-centered approach. ” According to the requirements of consultation for the people, we adhere to the guidance of consultation matters based on the needs of the people, we select issues related to the people’s interests, especially those related to grassroots public services, public welfare undertakings, and the issues of general concern, such as service for the old people and the kids, and setting up street lights “, he said.
Secondly, the People’s Livelihood Consultation Hall includes a wide participation of the people. The main participants in the consultation are committee members of CPPCC, government departments, township leaders, and experts. According to the topic, representatives from the public are also invited to participate, Mr. Li pointed out, adding that the consultation venue should be flexible as they adhere to the principle of “consult where is conducive to problem solving”. Consultation can be both online and offline; it can be used in a fixed location, as well as in the fields, courtyards, workshops and other places.
In the last position, participants in the consultation meeting focus on effectiveness. Through face-to-face discussion, the People’s Livelihood Consultation Hall strives to reach the widest consensus, transform the consultation results into decisions of the government, practical projects related to people’s livelihood, and improving social governance. Through democratic supervision by CPPCC, it promotes the consultation issues that can be implemented and the people can enjoy the benefits from consultations, he reassured.
The understanding of democracy differs from a country to another
As some people may wonder if China is a democratic country or not, the president of Wuyi Committee of CPPCC, Mr. Li Yangyong, pointed out that democracy is applied differently from a country to another. To this end, President Xi Jinping has emphasized that China’s democracy is a whole-process people’s democracy, with the People’s Congress as the central institution for its realization.
For better understanding of how democracy works in China, Mr. Li gave the example of the “People’s Livelihood Consultation Hall”, which is just a microcosm of the CPPCC’s practice of whole-process people’s democracy. ” We know that there is no medicine in the world that can cure all diseases, and there is no development model that is universally applicable “, he highlighted, explaining that every country should follow its own development path that is supported by the people and in line with its national conditions.
According to him, the forms of democracy can be diversified, and it is impossible to have a same approach. As a Chinese saying goes, “You can only know whether the shoes fit you or not by wearing them yourself”, Mr. Li pointed out that whether a country is democratic or not should only be judged by its own people. ” Only what suits them is the best, and only the system that suits their nation is the most reliable and effective. Every country can base itself on its national conditions and explore the democratic forms and models that are the most suitable for it, so that the people can truly enjoy their rights and freedom “, he added.
The Wuyi county government acknowledges people with hard working abilities
Xu Chengbin, chairman of Tianlu Tourism Development Co., told the foreign journalists on the sidelines of the consultation meeting that thanks to great contributions he made in tourism, the Wuyi county government recognized all the efforts he made to promote that sector. He was rewarded by becoming a member of Wuyi Committee of CPPCC.
Lan Wei is also a member of Wuyi Committee of CPPCC. He belongs to the She minority ethnic group well-known for its very rich culture. He did all the best to use this culture to attract tourists to come to this village, so that people can reach common prosperity. In addition, the idea of promoting agricultural products including vegetables came into his mind. He raised his suggestion to the Wuyi Committee of CPPCC for approval. This commendable suggestion by Mr. Lan was adopted for common benefit of the people of Wuyi county.
It is worth noting that Wuyi county is also known as a flower town for its flowery landscape attracting tourists.
