Global Times: Grassroots voices being heard in two sessions, underscoring Xi's commitment to 'putting people first'

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Mar 06, 2025, 22:30 ET

BEIJING, March 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Ancient Chinese scholars used to say that people are fundamental to a country. The key to winning the hearts of the people lies in acknowledging their needs and ensuring their voices are heard.

One of the most inspiring facets of Chinese President Xi Jinping's leadership is his determination to put the interests of his people at the forefront. He once said that people's support is our top political priority. By repeatedly representing public sentiments, President Xi has won the hearts of his nation.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), every year during the national two sessions, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has engaged in discussions and exchanges with deputies of National People's Congress (NPC) and members of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, seeking opinions from the people, consulting with the people, and understanding the needs of the people.

During his speech at the deliberation session of the Inner Mongolia delegation to the Third Session of the 13th NPC in 2020, he stressed that the sole aim of the CPC in governance is to meet the needs of the people and give its all in serving them and striving for their wellbeing.

"It is a must to put the people first on the new journey of building China into a great modern socialist country and advancing national rejuvenation." Addressing the closing meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC in 2023, Xi said the people are the decisive force in building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects.

Using the metaphor of "arithmetic of politics and popular support," the Chinese president has always stressed to remain committed to putting the people first. How to calculate this arithmetic? The answer could be found in the stories about what Xi cares during the two sessions.

Has the 'Steamed Bun Office' gone?

On March 8, 2019, during the deliberation of the Henan delegation at the second session of the 13th NPC, Xi asked a question: has the "Steamed Bun Office" gone?" His question elicited laughter from the audience, who responded in unison, "It's gone!"

Residents in Henan love to eat steamed buns. In the past, there was a "Steamed Bun Office" in the capital Zhengzhou as the availability of steamed buns was a destabilizing factor. Now there is no need for such a special institution.

The "Steamed Bun Office" was established in 1998 in Zhengzhou to strengthen the management of the steamed bun market and ensure that the citizens could enjoy "safe bun" by revoking unsanitary workshops.

Henan is a major grain-producing province and a microcosm of Chinese agriculture. The establishment of the "Steamed Bun Office" highlights the longstanding issue of food security that has persisted for thousands of years in China, as well as the food security concerns that are always on Xi's mind.

Xi has always stressed putting the improvement of comprehensive agricultural production capacity at a more prominent position, and continuing efforts on promoting the high-quality development of social security.

When visiting national political advisors from the sectors of agriculture and welfare and social security, who were attending the fifth session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in 2022, Xi said that China has fed nearly one-fifth of the world population with 9 percent of the world's arable land and 6 percent of fresh water resources, hailing this hard-won accomplishment while warning against a lapse of attention on the issue of food security.

The president underscored keeping the annual grain output at over 650 million tonnes and "filling the rice bowl of Chinese people mainly with Chinese grain."

A small rice bowl is connected to the hearts of the people, and the hearts of the people represent the greatest politics.

Over the years, Xi would always visit fields during local inspections to understand the grain situation and inquire about grain matters.

In March 2024, after a trip to Changsha, the capital of Central China's Hunan Province, he traveled northwest to the city of Changde, the largest grain producer in the province.

For 20 years, the city has ranked first in grain production in a province that holds one of the nation's largest food stockpiles. Local farmer Dai Hong welcomed the Chinese president to his home, and introduced his agricultural equipment.

"President Xi walked between these tractors, and found these seeds. He pointed at the label and said they're produced locally. He was very interested in the technology being applied to farming, especially at such a crucial time of spring plantation. I found his timely visit really motivating," Dai told the CGTN.

Ma Huijuan, a NPC deputy from the Ningxia delegation who works as a peasant, presented suggestions to improve grain production efficiency at this year's two sessions.

She told the Global Times that the government's emphasis on food security and land cultivation has become more detailed in recent years, prompting more specific demands from NPC deputies and CPPCC members at the two sessions.

Prior to the session, she visited local fields to understand community needs, and afterward, returned home to explain the government's beneficial policies in simple terms and plain language. Connecting the agricultural community with the Great Hall of the People is her mission as a NPC deputy.

The keen attention on the "Three Rural Issues" continued into this year's two sessions. How should high-standard farmland be constructed? How can China ensure the income of grain farmers? Practical and effective suggestions from lawmakers and political advisors consistently lead to the introduction of more beneficial policies for agriculture.

After being elected as an NPC deputy, Zhang Daoheng, president of a vegetable cooperative in Changzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, proposed 16 recommendations related to the "Three Rural Issues," including the establishment of a public service platform for agricultural industries, the cultivation of new professional farmers, and the strengthening of policy-based agricultural insurance.

These proposals received positive responses from relevant departments. This year, Zhang will focus on topics such as revitalizing idle farmland and protecting the enthusiasm for grain production, bringing the voices of the people to the national two sessions.

In 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs handled 1,686 proposals, including 1,115 from the NPC and 571 from the CPPCC National Committee. This has generated great anticipation for this spring gathering.

Electric heating beds for villagers

In Banyan village, Huzhu Tu Autonomous County, the city of Haidong, in Northwest China's Qinghai Province, generations have traversed the rugged mountain paths, and the earthen houses have been patched up for decades. Unexpectedly, through relocation for poverty alleviation, villagers now enjoy a life envied by city dwellers.

"What are the villagers' electric heating beds like?"

On March 7, 2021, Xi asked the question to a local deputy when he took part in a deliberation with lawmakers from Qinghai Province at the fourth session of the 13th NPC. During a visit to the village in 2016, when the president had walked through the muddy paths of the newly established village, where such beds have not existed yet.

"They are quite economical. It spent just one kilowatt of electricity for a night, costing only a few cents," the deputy answered.

Due to its remote location in a poor mountainous area, with inconvenient transportation and limited access to information, the residents of Banyan village did not lead affluent lives. After completing their relocation, local villagers developed characteristic industries, resulting in a significant increase in the average annual income per person. The development journey of Banyan village is a microcosm of China's battle against poverty through relocation especially in remote ethnic minority regions.

Is it a flush toilet or a pit latrine? How does the embroidery industry contribute to poverty alleviation? Every detail, no matter how small, that affects the villagers' livelihoods is a matter of great concern for the president.

Over the past decades, China has lifted 800 million people out of poverty, achieving the poverty reduction goals of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a full decade ahead of schedule.

A series of practical measures for targeted poverty alleviation, including industrial poverty alleviation, educational support, and social security policies, have helped to improve the lives of the people.

During the two sessions this year, a range of proposals aimed at advancing the development of ethnic minority regions brought about heated discussions, emphasizing economic growth through tailored support for local industries, educational enhancement, and social welfare improvements to enhance the results of poverty alleviation.

The discussions underscored the importance of preserving cultural heritage while promoting sustainable development and increasing infrastructure investment to bolster connectivity and information access.

Arithmetic of politics and popular support

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, Xi has reiterated that the battle against corruption is first and foremost a political issue.

The people's support is of paramount importance in governance. The people resent corruption most. If we let a few hundred corrupt officials slip through the cracks, we are letting down all 1.4 billion Chinese people. This is the simple arithmetic of politics and popular support, he said.

China's anti-corruption battle continues to roar. In 2024, it made waves in sectors such as finance, energy, healthcare and sports, while dismantling sophisticated forms of graft that sought to conceal themselves as legitimate market practices.

According to the country's top anti-corruption watchdog, 58 high-ranking officials under the supervision of the CPC Central Committee were probed last year, Xinhua reported in January.

The crackdown on corruption has also intensified in areas impacting the daily lives of ordinary people.

A campaign launched in April 2024 saw 433,000 low-ranking officials disciplined, with 14,000 referred for prosecution, according to Xinhua.

In a People's Daily's survey before this year's national two sessions, netizens said the top three topics they were most concerned with were "livelihood security," "anti-corruption," and "social governance," all closely resonating with the hearts of the grassroots.

In 2024, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission handled 22 proposals during the two sessions, all of which have been successfully addressed, the commission said.

The proposals and motions tackled a variety of important issues, such as advancing anti-corruption legislation, combating new and hidden forms of corruption, ensuring high-quality development of the private economy, optimizing the business environment, and promoting a culture of integrity.

Xi has reiterated on many occasions that the country is its people, and the people are the country. The president's deep care for people's livelihoods during national two sessions shines like the warm sun of spring, touching hearts everywhere.

Such care translates into concrete measures, making education more accessible for rural children, reducing medical burdens for the elderly, and safeguarding workers' rights. These improvements in people's lives are quietly transforming society, painting a beautiful picture of the Chinese path to modernization.