From listening to delivering: How the CPC hears people's opinions and responds to their needs

Editor's Note: CGTN has launched a new season of its Ask China campaign, inviting experts, editors, reporters and other professionals to answer questions submitted by viewers from around the world about China and the Communist Party of China. Hu Xin is an editor at CGTN. 

The Communist Party of China (CPC) was founded to serve the people, a mission that puts people at the center of its work. So how does the Party hear people's opinions and respond to their needs?

Listening to the people

Effective responses begin with listening. During the preparation of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), an online public consultation campaign collected more than 3.1 million suggestions from netizens. These were reviewed and compiled into more than 1,500 constructive and representative suggestions in 27 areas. Not all suggestions are adopted, but the process gives all citizens a regular channel to make their voices heard by national policymakers.

Translating needs into targets

The over 1,500 suggestions were further refined in the 15th Five-Year Plan. The plan features 20 major indicators, seven of them focused on people's well-being, including keeping the surveyed urban unemployment below 5.5%, ensuring per capita disposable income grows in step with GDP and raising average life expectancy to 80 years. Broad public aspirations are thus translated into national development targets.  

Delivering tangible results

Listening and setting targets complete half the loop. The final test lies in delivery. The 2026 Government Work Report translates the plan's livelihood targets into concrete measures backed by dedicated funding. These include a 20-yuan increase in the monthly minimum basic pension for urban and rural residents, benefiting more than 180 million elderly people; a 24-yuan increase in per capita government subsidies for resident medical insurance; and 250 billion yuan in ultra-long-term special government bonds support consumer goods trade-in programs.

Ultimately, good governance starts with listening to the people. But the ability to translate their needs into concrete targets and deliver tangible results is what determines whether the Party can make a meaningful difference in people's lives.