Leading and Ensuring the High-Quality Development of Hainan’s Civil Affairs Work
in the Context of the Free Trade Port through High-Quality Party Building
By Zeng Feng

Party building is the fundamental guarantee for successfully accomplishing all tasks. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that ”to achieve the Party’s mission and tasks in the new era and on the new journey, Party building and organizational work must shoulder new responsibilities and achieve new accomplishments.” Following the 2023 reform of Party and state institutions, civil affairs departments at all levels have assumed more focused responsibilities, with heavier tasks and broader coverage, all deeply intertwined with people’s livelihoods and directly affecting the interests of the masses, fully embodying the Party’s nature and purpose.

2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the 5th anniversary of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s significant speech at the central Party and state institutions’ meeting on Party building, and a crucial year for achieving independent customs operations at the Hainan Free Trade Port. In this context, advancing civil affairs work in Hainan with high quality holds great significance. The provincial civil affairs system not only deeply studies and implements General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on Party building under the guidance of political Party building, but also emphasizes integrating Party building with civil affairs services. This is exemplified by the initiative of the “Five-heart Civil Affairs, Vanguard for the People” brand matrix. Overall, bolstered by innovative achievements in Party building, Hainan’s civil affairs work aims to achieve significant advancements within the framework of the Free Trade Port, contributing robust civil affairs capabilities to writing the Hainan chapter of Chinese modernization.

The Department of Civil Affairs of Hainan Province, in collaboration with the Civil Affairs Bureau of Ding’an County, conducted a Party day activity themed “Learn Thought, Strengthen Party Consciousness, and Foster New Ethical Standards”

Building a High-caliber Political Institution, Integrating Political Building of the Party Throughout Civil Affairs Work

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “The political development of the Party is fundamental and determines the direction and effectiveness of Party building.” Guided by this principle, the Department of Civil Affairs of Hainan Province firmly upholds the view that “civil affairs departments are primarily political organs, and civil affairs work is fundamentally political.” Through a conscientious approach to advancing civil affairs from a political perspective, we aim to embody the “Three Role Models” and establish a model political department that inspires confidence in the Party Central Committee and meets the public’s expectations. We will focus on the following tasks:

Firstly, our priorities include charting the Party’s course and upholding political integrity from a higher standpoint. It is crucial to deeply grasp the pivotal importance of the “Two Affirmations” in practice and translate them into actions that adhere to the principles of the “Two Upholds”. We are committed to prioritizing key issues, dedicating full efforts to primary tasks, and meticulously implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping’s directives and instructions on civil affairs. Moreover, we must align ourselves with the Party’s standards and benchmarks when planning civil affairs development, formulating policies, and executing civil affairs initiatives. By taking a proactive stance in addressing challenges, making informed decisions, and executing tasks within the broader framework of developing the Hainan Free Trade Port, we shoulder the political responsibility of securing public support for the Party and driving innovation in civil affairs across Hainan.

Secondly, we will enhance theoretical guidance with stricter requirements. We must foster a Marxist style of learning that integrates theory with practice, consistently using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to enhance cohesion and forge the Party’s soul. We will continue to consolidate and expand the results of the themed education campaign by establishing mechanisms such as leadership-led study, branch-focused study, themed lectures, and regular supervision of study. Our Party group’s theoretical study central group will play a key role in promoting and facilitating learning, enabling us to directly address issues, engage in in-depth discussions, and achieve practical results. The Party committees of state organs and every Party branch will strengthen theoretical learning through various educational tools, including thematic Party education campaigns, counseling seminars, symposiums for young officials, the “Contributing to the Free Trade Port: Civil Affairs Making a Difference” series discussions, the “Civil Affairs Lecture Series”, and the “Three Meetings and One Lecture” system. These efforts will continuously reinforce the ideological foundation of political loyalty among Party members and officials.

Thirdly, we will implement more concrete measures to ensure accountability in Party building. We will strengthen and improve the Party’s construction within our department by establishing four clear accountability lists corresponding to the different responsibilities of the Secretary of the Party Group of the Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, leadership team members, the Party committees of the state organs, and each Party branch. These lists will detail and break down target tasks, creating a closed-loop system of clarifying responsibilities at the beginning of the year, supervising responsibilities mid-year, and reporting on responsibilities at the end of the year. We will uphold the directive that “all Party work should be implemented down to each branch,” focusing on building “Four Strong” Party branches and solidly promoting the standardization and normalization of Party branch construction. Adhering to the principle of “addressing work issues by identifying their roots in Party building,” we will hold quarterly “Dual Reporting and Dual Assessment” meetings. At these sessions, each unit will report on both Party building and administrative work, followed by assessments from the provincial department leadership on these two areas in the fields and regions they oversee. This approach aims to address problems from their ideological roots and enhance the quality and efficiency of civil affairs work on all fronts.

Field research on the 2024 provincial-level livelihood project — “Happy Dining Tables for the Elderly”

Creating the “Five-Heart Civil Affairs, Vanguard for the People” Brand Matrix with High Quality, Integrating the Improvement of People’s Well-being Throughout Civil Affairs Work

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “To address the issue of discrepancy or disconnect between Party-building efforts and administrative services, the crucial step is pinpointing integration points to foster mutual reinforcement between the two.” The Provincial Civil Affairs Department prioritizes aligning Party building efforts with administrative effectiveness, focusing on achieving the dual goals of “comprehensive excellence in Party building and comprehensive operational improvement,” while integrating Party building work into the foundational responsibilities of civil affairs. By establishing the Party-building brand matrix of "Five-Heart Civil Affairs, Vanguard for the People," these efforts aim to elevate the overall standard of Party building within the department and cultivate a team of civil affairs officials that is closest to the masses, most emotionally connected with the masses, and most practical in serving the masses. The following tasks will be our main focus:

Firstly, we will create the “Strong-heart Civil Affairs” brand matrix. Centered on Party building to lead civil affairs development, we will fully utilize the "12345" Party building methodology, innovate strategies, implement policies beneficial to the people, and enhance the efficiency of civil affairs operations. This initiative will strengthen cadre capabilities and elevate service standards, thereby fortifying the foundation for civil affairs development.

Secondly, we will establish the “Filial-heart Civil Affairs” brand matrix. Leveraging initiatives such as such ensuring basic elderly care services, enhancing home- and community-based elderly care, fostering skilled teams for elderly care services, promoting the elderly care industry, and improving service quality, we aim to establish a new model of elderly care services that ensures basic needs, caters universally, and offers high standards of choice, thereby promoting refined, high-quality, and efficient elderly care.

Thirdly, we will introduce the “Connected-heart Civil Affairs” brand matrix. By taking the “Four Strong” actions dedicated to strengthening social organization foundations, enhancing management efficiency, boosting social capacity, and fostering collaboration, we aim to empower social organizations to contribute significantly to economic revitalization, social governance, investment attraction, and employment promotion. All in all, this initiative seeks to enhance the role of social organizations in supporting the overall development of the Hainan Free Trade Port.

Fourthly, we will develop the “Warm-heart Civil Affairs” brand matrix. With a focus on enhancing the social assistance system, advancing the integration of mental and community-based rehabilitation services, optimizing regional assistance management, promoting public welfare burial facilities, and implementing the “Rural Area Naming Campaign”, we aim to ensure robust livelihood services, enabling people to feel genuine care from the Party and government.

Fifthly, we will establish the “Compassionate-heart Civil Affairs” brand matrix. Emphasizing the development of social welfare initiatives, with a focus on children’s welfare assurance, marriage registration services, charity initiatives, and the growth of public welfare lotteries, we aim to consolidate small acts of kindness into a grand expression of love. Under strong organizational leadership, we will cultivate a Party-building framework where each unit and Party branch embodies unique characteristics and brands. For instance, the Party branch of the elderly services division proposes “Filial-heart Civil Affairs, Joyful Aging in Hainan”, while the social organizations management bureau advocates “Connected-heart Civil Affairs, Pioneering Social Construction”. The Party branch of the social assistance bureau proposes “Warm-heart Civil Affairs, Rescue Close at Hand” ... Each Party branch’s brand creation exhibits unique features, maintaining the political character of serving the people with practical integrity and diligence.

Advancing High-Quality Coordination Between Provincial, Municipal, and County Civil Affairs Departments, and Leading by Example Throughout Civil Affairs Work

General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of enhancing integrated awareness and maintaining a unified strategic mindset, calling for efforts to elevate the reputation of individual regions while contributing to the overall framework. Guided by this principle, the Provincial Civil Affairs Department adopts a systematic approach, firmly grasping the political and comprehensive nature of civil affairs work. It has established a collaborative mechanism for “integrating Party building with governmental services” among provincial, municipal, and county civil affairs units, steadily implementing the "Seven Links and Seven Promotions" initiative to foster a cohesive, efficient, and synergistic workforce. Specific efforts will be centered on the following tasks:

Firstly, we should coordinate joint party activities to promote coordinated development. By fully utilizing the revolutionary resources of Revolution in Qiong Ya, the department will organize Party spirit education sessions at red education bases for all provincial department Party members, as well as Party cadres from municipal and county civil affairs units. Each departmental Party branch will establish grassroots party-building and operational contact points with municipal and county civil affairs units as well as their corresponding civil affairs service institutions, solidly carrying out paired Party-building and co-construction.

Secondly, we will jointly focus on work style construction to promote implementation. In conjunction with the provincial civil affairs work meeting, comprehensive planning and deployment for strict Party governance across the provincial civil affairs system should be conducted. The Specific Measures of the Department of Civil Affairs of Hainan Province for Improving Work Style are to be earnestly implemented to reduce burdens at the grassroots level. Annually, self-inspection and rectification regarding formalism and bureaucratism in policy execution and decision implementation across the provincial civil affairs system should be conducted.

Thirdly, we must coordinate policy and project adjustments to enhance quality and efficiency. We will adopt a collaborative research approach across provincial, municipal, and county levels, standardizing activities such as “Accompanying the Public through Processes”, which features comprehensive support throughout all stages. This method involves firsthand experience in social organization government services, foreign-related marriage registration, and expedited processing of senior subsidies, aiming to assess the implementation of civil affairs policies and understand the challenges and needs of civil affairs service recipients. We must guide municipal and county civil affairs departments in effective project planning and reserves, establish the Hainan Civil Affairs Project Reserve Bank, and strengthen supervision, research, and performance evaluation in project construction.

Fourthly, we should jointly cultivate policy and administration to enhance capabilities. We should prioritize honing the “seven capabilities” of cadres by sending heads of civil affairs units across the province, heads of provincial departments and their directly subordinate units, and key personnel to study advanced experiences in other provinces. This will strengthen the political literacy and civil affairs capabilities of Party members and cadres, promoting significant changes in thinking and substantial improvements in efficiency.

Fifthly, we will coordinate specialized governance to promote the implementation of reforms. We need to establish mechanisms for jointly rectifying prominent issues and misconduct in the civil affairs sector, as well as feedback mechanisms for addressing identified problems. Actions should be taken to consolidate and enhance the governance of subsistence allowances, implement the “Lightening the Burden for Enterprises” initiative, and oversee subsidy distribution. All of these initiatives require effective top-down supervision, guidance, and service support.

Sixthly, we must jointly manage practical affairs to enhance service quality for the people. It is essential to address areas of social concern and public interest, accurately respond to the needs of the masses, and tailor measures to local conditions for effective management of provincial-level livelihood projects. Specifically, we must strive to establish “Happy Dining Tables for the Elderly”, support municipalities and counties in setting up no fewer than 82 elderly canteens, and adapt various models of elderly meal assistance services as required. We must also fully implement the “Integration of Mental Health Rehabilitation and Community-Based Rehabilitation Services Action” to provide free community rehabilitation services to no fewer than 2,000 individuals with mental disorders province-wide.

Seventhly, we must mitigate risks and potential hazards to promote safe development. It is imperative to enhance the response mechanism for major public opinion risks in the civil affairs sector. This includes ensuring timely information dissemination, prompt verification, risk assessment, accurate public statements, and proactive guidance to improve public opinion management capabilities. Additionally, we should conduct regular production safety supervision inspections and emergency drills, continually consolidating the outcomes of comprehensive safety inspections and corrections within civil affairs service institutions.

Promoting High-Quality Party Discipline Learning and Education, Upholding Strict Discipline and Conduct Throughout Civil Affairs Work

As General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “Exercising full and rigorous governance over the Party is the path the Party must take to maintain its vigor and pass new tests on the road ahead.” Given that civil affairs work caters to a unique demographic, encompassing numerous service institutions, substantial funds, and a diverse workforce, and often manages people's “life-saving money” and “emergency funds,” it is essential to remember that ensuring full and rigorous governance over the Party is a continuous endeavor and that self-reform is a journey without end. Therefore, the Provincial Department of Civil Affairs steadfastly promotes party discipline learning and education, emphasizing the need to prioritize discipline construction, as well as continuously reinforcing anti-corruption efforts by enhancing Party officials’ sense of mission and responsibility. These approaches all aim to safeguard the steady development of civil affairs in Hainan through stringent disciplinary standards. Our priority will be on the following tasks:

Firstly, we must firmly grasp the target requirements, consistently promoting Party members and cadres to learn, comprehend, uphold, and abide by discipline. We should adhere to learning things in its original form, studying each chapter and sentence meticulously, and relating what is learned to practical situations. It is essential to prioritize understanding General Secretary Xi Jinping’s critical discourse on comprehensively strengthening Party discipline construction as a significant task of Party discipline learning and education. We should closely focus on the pivotal study of the Regulations on CPC Disciplinary Actions, and organize Party members and cadres to engage in deep learning, enhancing their discipline awareness and Party ethos through cadre-led reading sessions, specialized integrity-building lectures, exchange seminars, branch-led study sessions, and individual self-study. Utilizing exemplary cases as “living textbooks,” we should effectively conduct cautionary education through the “Four-in-One” activities, ensuring that we learn from cases and historical experiences. This approach will educate and guide Party members and cadres to maintain constant vigilance, uphold strict discipline, and approach every task with respect and caution.

Secondly, we must strictly enforce political discipline and rules, ensuring rigorous adherence to all aspects of Party discipline. Decisions and actions must strictly follow the principles of democratic centralism. For critical matters such as the allocation of civil affairs funds, project construction, and project bidding, decisions should be collectively researched before being determined, and a system for promptly reporting major issues must be strictly implemented. Furthermore, we must strengthen the “dual responsibilities” of Party conduct and integrity building, actively identifying areas vulnerable to corruption risks, and effectively implementing the Corruption Prevention and Control System for Positions of Hainan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs. Strict adherence to work discipline is requisite: when addressing historical legacies and issues of significant public concern, we should take proactive steps, promptly assuming responsibility, and firmly reject the practice of prioritizing form over substance and bureaucratic tendencies. Additionally, we must simultaneously uphold Party consciousness, Party conduct, and Party discipline, effectively utilizing criticism and self-criticism as the most common and effective methods of ideological struggle. By inheriting and developing the Party’s noble traditions and venerable conduct, we will inspire Party members and cadres to pursue lofty ideals and settle the “master” issue of their values and outlook on world and life, thereby reinforcing the ideological defenses against corruption.

Finally, we must focus on serving the central tasks and the overall interests, consistently improving our work style and ensuring effective implementation. On the one hand, it is crucial to firmly establish correct views on power, political achievements, and career aspirations; on the other, by focusing on national priorities, public concerns, and government needs, we can effectively advance the implementation of civil affairs work. In this process, we should grasp the foundational positioning of civil affairs work in social development, so as to better fulfill the role of safeguarding the bottom line in enhancing people’s well-being and achieving common prosperity. In implementing the national strategy to actively respond to population aging, we should fully assume the leading role and effectively fulfill our responsibilities in promoting high-quality development, fostering a shift from pursuing mere growth to pursuing better growth in the high-quality development of civil affairs. Furthermore, we should strengthen the construction of an “effective government”. We must closely integrate the promotion of Party discipline learning and education with the enhancement of officials’ conduct, the rectification of formalism, and the reduction of burdens at the grassroots level. By focusing on the “Three Capacities” and the “Nine Styles of Work Ethic”, we will not shun from dedicating years of sustained effort to ensure that every measure in Party discipline learning and education becomes an effective initiative for promoting civil affairs work. These initiatives will better secure the basic needs of people’s livelihoods, optimize civil affairs services, advance social governance, and ultimately contribute to the establishment of a clean and transparent free trade port.

(Author: Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the Department of Civil Affairs of Hainan Province)