China’s Communist Party quietly signals social stability push with new high-level body
China’s ruling Communist Party has signalled a renewed push for social stability by quietly setting up a high-level party group about a year ahead of its 21st national congress. The creation of the Leading Group for Social Governance of the party’s Central Committee underscores the growing focus on internal security and grass-roots governance ahead of the next five-yearly congress, expected to be…
China’s ruling Communist Party has quietly established a high-level body aimed at promoting social stability in the run-up to the party’s 21st national congress in 2027. The Leading Group for Social Governance, a cross-ministry steering mechanism, was formed a year before the congress, reflecting the party's heightened focus on internal security and grassroots governance.
The group's activities have been evidenced by local government reports in recent months, with officials from Inner Mongolia, Zhejiang, Henan, and Jiangsu provinces holding meetings to study instructions from the central group. These meetings are no longer available online, but their existence has been confirmed through official statements.
The Central Social Work Department, directly under the party's Central Committee, has been given a key role in coordinating and guiding the handling of public petitions, soliciting public opinion, and leading the work of industry federations and grassroots communities. The group's priorities include engaging with China's gig economy workers and improving the governance of private companies and social organizations.
The importance of social governance was emphasized in a conference held in Beijing last November, with Xi Jinping's chief of staff presiding over the event.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
