Party keeps putting people first

Showing care and concern

The CPC has enshrined its purpose of wholeheartedly serving the people in the Party's Constitution, which stipulates that the CPC has no special interests other than representing the interests of the people.

"The biggest political advantage the Party has is its close ties with the people while the biggest potential danger it faces as a governing party is becoming distanced from them," the CPC's Constitution states.

In the report he delivered to the 19th National Congress of the CPC, Xi said that the Party must ensure the principal status of the people and adhere to the Party's commitment to serving the public good and exercising power in the interests of the people.

"We must observe the Party's fundamental purpose of wholeheartedly serving the people and put into practice the Party's mass line in all aspects of governance," he said.

Xi made fulfilling the Party's poverty alleviation pledge a top priority, and he chaired seven symposiums on poverty reduction and made over 50 inspection trips to poor areas, including all of the country's 14 contiguous poverty-stricken areas to stress the importance of the work.

He called upon officials to worry about the people, love the people and think frequently about bringing benefits to the people, saying that they should implement measures that are more targeted, more extensive in coverage and generated more immediate outcomes.

Highlighting this, when the difficult living environment and material deprivation of the residents of Atuleer caught the attention of Xi, after it was reported by media outlets, he voiced his concern for the villagers and how distressing it was that they had to rely on the rattan ladders during a discussion with the deputies from Sichuan in March 2017 during the annual session of the 12th National People's Congress, the top legislature, in Beijing.

Xi visited Zhaojue county in February 2018, where he spoke with Yi ethnic villagers and highlighted the importance of ensuring that no ethnic group, family or individual will be left behind as the nation builds itself into a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

Robert Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation and winner of the China Reform Friendship Medal, said Xi has set an example that leaders and officials can follow in acting on a people-centered philosophy.

"Almost everywhere Xi goes, he stresses poverty alleviation and encourages Party officials to visit impoverished areas regularly and interact with poor people directly," he said.

Going forward, Kuhn said the people-centered philosophy of the CPC can be seen in the rural vitalization strategy, which seeks to reduce the imbalances between urban and rural areas and ensure rural residents enjoy a high quality of life.

Winning people's trust

In the eyes of analysts, China's fight against COVID-19 has also embodied the Party's people-oriented governance philosophy.

"It is because the Party put life and people front and center, and took the most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough prevention and control measures that China became the first country to largely bring the situation under control and achieve the resumption of work and production," said Tao Wenzhao, the Renmin University of China professor.

China has offered free medical treatment to COVID-19 patients and made it a top priority to improve the cure rate and reduce the fatality rate of patients.

"From infants who had only been born 30 hours to centenarians, from international students to expats in China, every life was given full protection and care. The value of each person's life and their dignity were offered meticulous care during the process," Xi said in a grand gathering that commended the role models in the country's fight against the virus in September.

Robert Griffiths, general secretary of the Communist Party of Britain, said that having the trust of the people and the involvement of the people was undoubtedly the key to China's successful efforts to control the novel coronavirus. "I would say it was the closeness of the Chinese Communist Party to the people, that was the kernel of the experience of China and its people," he said, adding that this feature of the Party stands out throughout its history.

The CPC's close links with the people mean it has gained the trust and support of the grassroots, which enables the whole of the country to respond to and successfully overcome huge challenges like the COVID-19 epidemic and poverty, Griffiths observed.

The CPC is a party that "emerged from the people, was created by the people, and it's always sought to stay close to the people", he said.