On the morning of December 18, the 2024 Beijing Forum on Swift Response to Public Complaints opened. Yin Li, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, attended the opening ceremony and delivered an address. Wu Hansheng, Minister of the Social Work Department of the CPC Central Committee; Gao Xiang, President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences; Yin Yong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Beijing; Li Xiuling, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People’s Congress; and Wei Xiaodong, Chairman of the CPPCC Beijing Municipal Committee, were also in attendance.

Yin Li said that the CPC Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, places great importance on urban development. He underscored the Chinese government’s commitment to the people-centered approach, and its dedication to advancing new urbanization and modernizing urban governance systems and capabilities. Beijing, with a history spanning over 3,000 years, including more than 870 years as the national capital, is renowned for its rich culture and long history. Today, it is a vibrant megacity with a population of 21.86 million. In recent years, in response to the diverse needs of its residents for a better life, Beijing has created the “Swift Response to Public Complaints” initiative, proactively addressing governance challenges raised by citizens. The city has continuously improved its public service system and effectively resolved numerous local issues for its residents, making urban life more convenient, enriched, and refined. At present and in the near future,  committed to taking the lead in basically achieving socialist modernization, Beijing will further deepen reform in its “Swift Response to Public Complaints” initiative, striving to create more citizen-focused practices in modern urban governance. Yin said that Beijing will uphold the people-centered philosophy of urban governance, addressing key issues related to people’s well-being, such as those in education, employment, and housing, while supporting market players in delivering diverse services in culture, elderly care, healthcare, and other areas. This will ensure that the gains of development benefit more citizens. Adhering to a governance model that integrates the rule of law with the rule of virtue, rooted in Oriental cultural values, Beijing aim to promote China’s rich cultural heritage, develop the law-based governance system, and foster a society that pursues excellence and good will with sound civility and social order. Efforts will be made to promote collaborative urban governance by handling public matters through extensive consultation, encouraging partnership among the government, society, and the public, and leveraging the role of modern digital technologies in enhancing governance capabilities. The aim is to build an urban governance community where everyone participates, contributes, fulfills responsibilities, and shares in the benefits. Beijing will build itself into an open, inclusive, and eco-friendly modern city by further improving its international services and facilitating cultural exchanges and mutual learning. The city strives to become a global pacesetter in the green economy and a world-class metropolis that is harmonious and livable.

Gao Xiang said that, following General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important remarks on city development, Beijing is accelerating the establishment of a new model for primary-level urban governance underpinned by the “Swift Response to Public Complaints” initiative and reflecting the unique characteristics of the capital city. This is part of the city’s ongoing efforts to enhance the quality of the urban environment and improve the living standards of its people. The “Swift Response to Public Complaints” reform, by adopting a people-centered approach, effectively responds to public needs. It embodies the CPC’s mass line in the new era by listening to the people, understanding and addressing their concerns,and winning their support. A host of reform measures to improve people’s well-being and fulfill their aspirations have been implemented, providing valuable experience for modernizing national governance system and capabilities. These efforts reflect how Beijing is meeting the people’s aspirations for a better life, offering rich theoretical and practical value. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences will actively leverage its academic and talent resources, collaborating with Beijing to contribute to the advancement of Chinese modernization. The goal is to build a people-centered, resilient, green, and livable city, enabling all citizens to share the fruits of urban development.

At the opening ceremony, remarks were delivered on-site or via video by Fan Yun, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of China Media Group; Xu Haoliang, Under Secretary-General of the United Nations; Omar Razzaz, Former Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Jordan, and Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School; and Andreas Grammatikogiannis, Deputy Mayor of Athens, Greece. In addition, a series of outcomes were released, including the Compilation of Research Papers on Swift Response to Public Complaints in Beijing (2024), Cases of Urban Governance Innovation (2024), and Evaluation Report on Worldwide City Hotline Services and Governance Effectiveness (2024). Following the ceremony, participants went to see the forum’s exhibition, gaining a comprehensive understanding of how the “Swift Response to Public Complaints” reform has improved agile governance, resilient governance, proactive governance, law-based governance, diverse governance, and digital and smart governance.

On the evening of December 17, Yin Li met with foreign guests of the 2024 Beijing Forum on Swift Response to Public Complaints and attended the premiere of the documentary on Swift Response to Public Complaints.

Themed “Modernizing for People-Centered Urban Governance”, this year’s forum features an opening ceremony, a main forum, six parallel forums, a closing ceremony, and various side activities. Municipal leaders, heads of international organizations, renowned Chinese and foreign experts and scholars, and practitioners of urban governance from both home and abroad engaged in in-depth theoretical discussions and exchanges of practices. Their consensus will be compiled into the Beijing Declaration on Modernizing Urban Governance (2024), contributing to building a global community of cities with a shared future.

The opening ceremony was attended by leaders from relevant central government departments, Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin; officials from domestic and foreign cities; foreign diplomats in China; heads of international organizations, business associations, and foreign-funded enterprises; domestic and international experts and scholars; and representatives of primary-level community, enterprises, and the general public.

(Written by Qi Mengzhu and Fan Junsheng)