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This book is composed of five parts, a general report and four independent sections which covers social governance, basic public service, modern social organization, and public safety and emergency management respectively. The book will review the progress of social system reform in 2019, predict the trend in 2020, and proposes relevant policy recommendations for the future.
In 2019, China grows in a global environment in which the growth rate of the world economy has fallen to its lowest point in 10 years since the global financial crisis and the international economic and trade frictions have greatly intensified. In spite of that, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core has united the people of all ethnic groups in China to have accomplished the main goals and tasks of 2019 after overcoming various difficulties. The social system reform continues to advance, especially with new achievements insocial security and social governance.
In 2020, China will achieve the goal of building a well-off society in an all-round way (xiaokang shehui), and to fully win the battle against poverty, and to start the14th five-year economic and social development plan. However, the sudden outbreak of the Coronavirus epidemic, with unprecedented speed of spreading, wide range of impact and depth of damage, is greatly changing China and the world. China is one of the first countries hit by the widespread epidemic, but it successfully controlled the epidemic in a relatively short period of time after arduous efforts.
This epidemic turns to be a full assessment of China’s governance system and capability. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core and with national strength mobilized, we have achieved victory in controlling the epidemic in a relatively short period of time. This has demonstrated the unique “Chinese strength”, “Chinese spirit”, “Chinese efficiency” and “China responsibility”. From the perspective of societal development, the successful prevention and control of the epidemic outbreak has attributed to the achievements of social system reform over the years. At the same time, the prevention and control of the outbreak also exposed the shortcomings and weaknesses in the social field. First, societal structural change is facing greater difficulties than in the past. Second, the task of ensuring basic livelihood is even more onerous than before. Third, social governance is facing many new challenges now. The fourth, the government-society relations and the market-society relations face many new challenges.
Therefore, there is the urgent need for further social system reform, in order to stimulate greater social vitality and promote its further modernization. First, we must use the 14th Five-Year Plan as an opportunity to formulate the modernization plan of the social system for 2035. Second, we must focus on securing fuller employment to ensure social stability and increase people’s income. Third, we must continue to optimize the income distribution pattern in China. Fourth, we must build new mechanisms for social progress and people’s livelihood security in the new era. Fifth, we must improve the social governance system of co-building, co-governing and sharing. Sixth, we must give full play to the role of various social forces. Seventh, we must accommodate the development of a “digital society.” Eighth, we must improve the ability of social governance at abnormal times.