<aside> 💬 How do you understand “this country is its people; the people are the country”?
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This is a quote from President Xi Jinping, who said it at the opening ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the CPC in October 2022. It means that the country belongs to the people and is formed by the people, and that the people are the essence and core of the country, reflecting the “people-oriented” governance that China advocates.
This quote is the guiding principle for local governments in China. For example, In February 2023, the 12345 hotline in Guangzhou city alone had received more than one million calls, and more than 80% issues were rated satisfied. In 2022, Zhejiang Province handled 82 thousand legal aid cases for people in need. By the end of 2022, over 300 million doses of COVID vaccine were administered nationwide to protect our health and safety.
All these examples reflect the vision of people-orientation, in other words, governance “for the people”, rather than government “by the people”. It also provides a Chinese solution for governments around the world.