Xi's initiative helping solve grassroots problems, address complaints

Villagers arrange freshly gathered peonies in Hangping, Pujiang, in May. HU XIAOFEI/FOR CHINA DAILY

Important practice

Yu Zhaofei, dean of Hangzhou Normal University's Shen Junru Law School, said introducing the "Pujiang experience" was an important practice to achieve modern governance, which must be continuously improved to support China's development.

"As a country with a large population, China must find ways to solve social problems at the lowest cost, which can benefit the people and governments at all levels," Yu said.

He added that people in the West need to understand that many disputes and problems at grassroots level in China cannot be tackled by litigations, because they are often caused by different understandings of customs or traditions, which are highly valued by local communities, especially in rural areas.

As a result, numerous problems cannot be filed as court cases. And even if they can, many people may not be able to afford the cost of lawyers and time-consuming court hearings, which will result in social injustice that is often seen in the West. In view of this, China has created ways other than the legal system to resolve nonjudicial cases, including the petition system and introducing the "Pujiang experience", Yu said.

"Social issues in China need to be tackled with Chinese wisdom, and construction of the nation's social governance system must take the traditional and modern aspects of the country into consideration," Yu said. "Simply copying practices from the West won't work."

He added that by having officials from higher authorities who understand the law and government policies meet the people and act as mediators, many disputes can be resolved easily at grassroots level. More important, by working out solutions together, the public and officials become involved in social governance.

Many officials in Pujiang said each face-to-face session with local people is like taking part in a quiz, as they never know what kind of issues will be raised.

The officials always aim to help the people by providing solutions to their problems, whether they be disputes over the use of land, or complaints about the behavior of other villagers.

Vital role

Chen Qingsong, Party chief of Hangping township, Pujiang, said the monthly sessions have helped officials understand that solving people's problems is an important part of their routine work.

"There will always be new problems and issues that concern the villagers as China continues to develop, but we can always find ways to address them so that there is nothing to be afraid of. What matters is that we are there for the people," Chen said.

In Zhejiang, China: A New Vision of Development, Xi states that by reaching out to the public, officials not only help solve people's problems, but also gain insight into social development and obtain the skills needed to push for reform and development. Furthermore, the officials are reminded that they are there to serve the public, so the practice brings a number of benefits.

As the "Pujiang experience" has proven effective in preventing problems at grassroots level from escalating, and helped officials to promptly adjust government policies based on people's needs, the practice has been adopted by governments across Zhejiang and China.

Furthermore, a revision made to the Regulation on Letters and Visits last year states that officials are required to regularly visit people in villages and local communities to solve their problems.

Since 2003, officials at county, city and provincial levels in Zhejiang have met with the people about 700,000 times during their visits and helped solve more than 200,000 problems. The public's satisfaction rate with these visits is about 85 percent, the provincial government said in May.

Wang Yongjun, deputy Party chief of Huangyan district in Taizhou city, Zhejiang, said that sitting in an office and reading case files is never the best way to gain an insight into people's complaints and thoughts. Face-to-face communication is the most efficient way to gain a clear picture of the situation and gain the public's trust.

"As long as people's arguments are reasonable, we will try our best to work out a solution that is favorable to them. If their requests are unreasonable, we will explain to them in detail why such requests will be denied. If we find that illegal actions are involved, we will crack down on them in accordance with the law," Wang said.

"While providing people with solutions to their satisfaction, we also want the public to know that the government is trustworthy and that governance is based on the law," he added.

Zhu Yutang, who comes from Xingguang village, said drawing the authorities' attention to people's problems and disputes has become much easier. In addition to directly communicating with officials, complaints can now be filed via many channels, including government hotlines and social media platforms. People can also take complaints to staff members at social conflict and dispute mediation and resolution centers, he said.

Such a center in the Pujiang county seat offers residents one-stop services for solving their problems. They can meet staff members at counters operated by key government departments such as land resources, healthcare, social security, and environmental protection. Lawyers are also on duty to provide legal aid.

Chen Huang, a staff member at the county construction bureau, has worked at the center for about a year — offering advice on simple cases, and directly informing the bureau's officials about cases that are more complicated.

"In the past, we had to wait for cases to be referred to us via channels for collecting public complaints. Establishing the center has cut out the "middlemen" and significantly reduced the time taken for people to receive feedback," Chen said. "Most of the cases I handle are quite complicated, because an increasing number of problems are being solved at village and township level."

Currently, about 90 percent of public complaints in Pujiang can be resolved in the villages and townships, while only 10 percent of the cases need to be brought to county-level authorities.

To better address the public's needs, from June 10, key Pujiang government officials started taking turns to receive visits from people during weekends. Conflict and dispute mediation and resolution centers have also been set up in all county-level administrative areas in Zhejiang.

Yu, from Hangzhou Normal University, said, "In creating more channels for people to lodge their complaints, and having officials on hand to address the public's concerns on their doorstep, China can tackle social problems more effectively.

"More important, people can gain a stronger sense that the government and Party officials are there to serve them, which is key to political stability and social harmony."