SCIO press conference on white paper 'Youth of China in the New Era'
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E-mail China.org.cn, April 27, 2022
Xing Huina:
Thank you for your introduction, Mr. He. Now the floor is open for questions. Please identify the media outlet you represent before asking questions.
China Media Group:
We note that the Middle- and Long-term Youth Development Plan (2016-2025), the first plan directed toward young people in the history of China, is repeatedly mentioned in the white paper. Mr. He, over the past five years since it was introduced, what have we done to serve youth development and promote the implementation of this plan? Thank you.
He Junke:
Thank you. I will take the question. The Middle- and Long-term Youth Development Plan (2016-2025) was enacted under General Secretary Xi Jinping's personal direction, commitment, and concern. The plan is new for us. In China, policies related to youth development were scattered among various ministries and departments in the past. It is the first time for us to integrate them together and consider their coordination and cohesion. It has been five years since the plan was enacted. We have made great progress in the past five years under the concern of various sectors. The progress mainly includes the following aspects:
First, institutional systems to support youth development have been continuously improved. These systems include seventeen or eighteen laws directly related to youth development guided by the spirit of the Constitution. Some of them have been revised over the years, which have fully considered the current situation of the development of times and the youth and built a basic legal support system. In addition, the planning system framework involving youth development has been fully established. The State Council issued the Middle- and Long-term Youth Development Plan (2016-2025), and all provinces issued their provincial youth development plans. Some prefecture-level cities, counties, and districts also revealed their youth development plans. In terms of institutional and policy systems, some requirements of youth development have been included in the 13th and 14th Five-Year Plans for National Economic and Social Development, in which special chapters and sections have contributed to the requirements, with the needs of youth development addressed. In addition, various ministries and commissions have formulated many specific policies in their work field and within the scope of their specialties. According to our rough statistics, various central government departments have issued more than 80 specific policies to support youth development in recent five years. Thus, a complete institutional system has been established within the scope of institutional systems.
Second, a coordination mechanism for promoting youth development has been established. I am the convener of the inter-departmental joint meeting mechanism for implementing the middle- and long-term youth development plan at the national level. There are 51 ministries and commissions participating in the mechanism, one of our country's most extensive coordination mechanisms. Seventeen departments are regularly involved in the work of the mechanism, and the other 30 odd departments often take concerted actions. Such coordination mechanisms have also been established at the provincial, city, and county levels. In addition, Party and government leaders in the region serve as conveners, and relevant departments participate.
Third, substantive progress has been made in addressing pressing difficulties and problems that are of the greatest concern to young people. This is the most fundamental foothold. In recent years, all localities have revealed many specific policies in light of local conditions to address such issues in the fields of education, employment, entrepreneurship, marriage and fertility, support for the elderly, and housing. Take housing as an example. Young people face many difficulties in housing in big cities. Many provinces have made some explorations in this regard. For example, Guangdong Province implemented a youth settlement program in 2020 and has made constant efforts, which have helped more than 7,000 college graduates settle down in public rental housing units. Not long ago, Beijing turned more than 600 departments into public rental housing units available for fresh graduates for the first time. These are important explorations and have also satisfied real needs.
The Central Committee of the CYLC has also played the role of a bridge that links the Party with the youth very well in these respects. More than a decade ago, we began to establish a face-to-face communication mechanism between the Communist Youth League members and the deputies to the People's Congress, and members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference to propose some prominent problems in youth development in an orderly manner, and via these two channels let young people' voice be heard and carry out policy advocacy.
Fourth, in recent years, we have focused on exploring more effective ways to promote the implementation of the plans and made great efforts to integrate fragmented policies to promote youth development. For example, two years ago, we launched pilot programs in more than 400 districts and counties across China and gained a lot of inspiration. In the past more than one year, more than 90 cities across the country have explored ways of building youth-development-friendly cities conducive to young people's growth and progress. We will continue our efforts in this regard.
Generally, thanks to our efforts over the past five years, a preliminary policy system and working mechanism for youth development with Chinese characteristics has taken shape, which we set out five years ago. But, of course, this is a long-term task. So, we will continue to take advice from all sectors and improve our work. So that's my answer, thank you.
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