China Voice: Smoothing channels for closer government-people ties

As Chinese authorities strive for closer links with and better service for the public, conflict resolution has become an important focus of their attention. [ The Chinese government and the Communist Party of China (CPC) have a tradition of nurturing ties with ordinary people since revolutionary times.

In recent decades, the CPC has stressed governing the country in the best interests of the people as being the most effective tool in governance. Winning the people's support is the top political priority, President Xi Jinping has said on many occasions.

On Thursday, Xi underscored the handling of public petitions, demanding that citizen's legitimate and lawful appeals be dealt with properly through legal, policy, economic and administrative means.

In the early 1950s, China established a petitioning system for hearing public complaints and grievances and channeling the issues to the appropriate authorities for settlement. Some authorities, however, are criticized for delaying petitions or even blocking petitioners, especially when the appeals involve local governments.

Xi's instruction on smooth petitioning channels has alarmed local authorities. Issues aired in petitions are usually concerned with the immediate concerns of the general public, social harmony and stability. Dealing with petitions inappropriately, or even ignoring them, causes public rage and blows minor conflicts up into critical ones.

Rather than delaying or blocking petitioning, authorities should keep their ears to the ground and understand the people's needs before figuring out a way to solve the problem.

In this way, the people will feel a sense of security and government-people relations will automatically become closer. The alternative is that the government's image and credibility is damaged and people's hearts lost.

Rather than merely handling petitions, a better solution is to reduce the petitions by resolving conflicts in localities, or as what Xi urged, "nipping conflicts in the bud."

As most Chinese people now have Internet access, central authorities have made it an important conduit of engagement. On Tuesday, Xi urged officials to pay more attention to what people are saying online, and to be more tolerant and patient. He asked them to use the Internet to collect suggestions and feedback which can help dissolve grudges and grievances.

It is now easier than ever for the authorities to connect with the people, understand what they think and want, and come up with ways to deal with public discourse in a timely manner.

By allowing the people's voice to be heard, dissolving public grudges in time and finding proper solutions to conflicts, the government is finding its way to a closer engagement with the people. Endi