On December 26, the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee Conference on Social Work was held in Chengdu. Wang Xiaohui, Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of Sichuan Provincial People's Congress, attended and addressed the conference. He stressed the need to deeply study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's key discourses and directives on social work, fully execute the arrangements and requirements from the Central Conference on Social Work, prioritize this field as a key focus in our overall strategy, and continuously drive the high-quality development of social work in the new era, in a bid to make greater contribute to writing a new chapter of Sichuan in advancing Chinese modernization.

Shi Xiaolin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Governor of the People's Government of Sichuan Province, chaired the first session. Yu Lijun, Deputy Secretary and Head of the Organization Department of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee, attended.

Wang Xiaohui emphasized in his speech that doing a good job in social work is vital for the Party's long-term governance, the country's enduring peace and stability, social harmony and stability, and the well-being of the people. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has provided a series of important expositions on why social work should be strengthened and how this should be done from a comprehensive and strategic perspective, elevating our Party's understanding of the laws governing social work to a new level. The second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has laid out plans to deepen the reform in Party and state institutions, resolving to establish social work departments. This move is a major reform initiative by the Party Central Committee to strengthen the Party's overall leadership in social work and to advance the modernization of the system and capacity for governance. It addresses the pressing need for enhancing the leading role of Party building in community-level governance, mixed-ownership and non-public enterprises, new types of economic and social organizations, and among groups in new forms of employment. It is a practical and efficient response to more effectively uphold the Party's mass line in the new era, coordinate social relationships, defuse social tensions, and solidify the Party's governing foundation. This move holds significant and far-reaching importance. Last month, the Party Central Committee convened a conference on social work for the first time, and General Secretary particularly delivered important instructions at the conference, elaborating on the vital role and functions of social work and setting forth explicit requirements for excelling in social work in the new era, which offers us fundamental guidance to do a good job in this field. We must stand at the political height of unwaveringly upholding the "two affirmations" and resolutely delivering on "two upholds", take General Secretary's important expositions on social work as our overarching guide, and give full play to the Party's strengths in politics, institutions and its close ties with the people to excel in social work, thereby more effectively shouldering the duties and missions assigned by the Party Central Committee.

Wang Xiaohui pointed out that in accordance with the unified plans of the Central Committee, the province set up social work departments at the provincial, municipal, and county levels in a short period. These departments have now entered into operational mode and have shown promising results in various areas, Wang said. However, it is essential to recognize that doing a good job in the province's social work on the new journey of the new era is fraught with fresh and practical challenges, and addressing these issues necessitates a commitment to robust and effective efforts. The general requirements for implementing social work in Sichuan are: adhering to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully understanding and executing the Secretary's key discourses and instructions on social work, and upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership in the field of social work, applying a people-centered development philosophy, carrying out the Party's mass line in the new era, and steadfastly pursuing the path of social governance under socialism with Chinese characteristics, consistently enhancing the Party's influence, cohesive power and appeal in the emerging fields, continuously strengthening the foundational aspects of national governance at the community level, consistently invigorating and augmenting societal vitality, and striving to open up new prospects for social work in the new era, thus establishing a robust social foundation to support Sichuan's modernization drive.

Wang Xiaohui pointed out the need to strengthen Party building in emerging sectors. Efforts should be directed towards reinforcing Party building in new types of economic organizations, ramping up to enhance the Party building quality in non-public enterprises, offering targeted guidance for Party building in mixed-ownership enterprises, and persistently expanding the Party's organizational and work reach within new business models and economic sectors. Efforts should be made to enhance Party building within new types of social organizations, ensure that the Party's work is integrated into their operational and developmental processes, and coordinate to advance management system reforms for industry associations and chambers of commerce, thereby promoting the healthy growth of these new social organizations. Efforts should be made to strengthen Party building among groups in new forms of employment, explore effective methods for Party organizations and members to contribute actively, intensify our care and support for these new employment groups, and branch out effective approaches to service delivery and management.

Wang Xiaohui emphasized the necessity for a coordinated strategy to enhance the leading role of Party building in community-level governance and government development. We need to continually enhance the political and organizational functions of Party organizations at the community level, create solid platforms and vehicles for action, launch a batch of pilot projects on building comprehensive community service centers, and drive the substantial integration and unification of various community-level governance networks and grids. We need to foster a governance model that is both profound and efficient, persistently drive the enhancement and service optimization initiatives for urban and rural community governance, and ensure that services are more tailored to the needs of the community levels and that governance practices are imbued with a greater sense of empathy and understanding. Efforts should be focused on resolving the critical issue of "an underpowered entity managing excessive responsibilities" in community-level governance. We need to clarify the roles and responsibilities between counties and townships, promote the distribution of resources and personnel to subordinate levels, and strictly implement regulations aimed at rectifying pointless formalities to reduce burdens at the community level, ensuring that the outcomes are tangible and achievable at the community level.

Wang Xiaohui emphasized the importance of doing a good job in uniting and serving the people. It is essential to uphold and enhance the "Fengqiao model" in the new era, promote the public complaints work to be more law-based, work to resolve the issues at their source and settle long-standing cases. We should effectively gather public suggestions, improve the mechanisms for incorporating public opinion and pooling collective wisdom, and establish smooth and broad channels for collecting public suggestions. Efforts should be made to nurture the development of volunteer services, enhance the structure of the volunteer service system, effectively manage volunteer service organizations and teams, and advance volunteerism as a prevailing social practice.

Wang Xiaohui emphasized that effectively managing social work in the new era is a collective responsibility for all levels and sectors across the province. Party committees (Party leading groups) at all levels are required to diligently implement the decisions and arrangements set by the Party Central Committee and the provincial Party committee, willingly take on the political responsibility of doing a good job in social work, channel efforts towards enhancing cohesion, establishing robust mechanisms, and reinforcing teams, foster collaboration among relevant departments and units, encourage widespread participation from societal entities, and thereby forge a powerful collective effort for effective execution. Social work departments should refine and improve their operational systems and mechanisms, cultivate a team of highly skilled and competent social workers who are adept at delivering results when it matters most, strive for continuous improvement in the quality and effectiveness of their work, and demonstrate their new dedication and responsibility in work delivery.

The first session was held in the form of a teleconference, extending its reach to all cities (prefectures) within the province. During the second session, Jin Lei, Member of the Standing Committee, Head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs, and Director-General of the Social Work Department of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee, made a concluding speech. Officials from the Department of Civil Affairs, the Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League, and Chengdu, Panzhihua, Deyang and Yibin cities made exchange speeches.

Relevant provincial leaders, heads of pertinent provincial departments, persons in charge from certain central units in Sichuan, provincial research institutes, universities, and state-owned enterprises supervised by provincial SASAC, leading officials in charge of relevant work from the municipal (prefectural) Party committees, and heads of the Party committees' social work departments, among others, attended the meeting at the main venue.