The opening of the annual meeting of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on March 3 kicked off this year’s Liang Hui (annual sessions of NPC & CPPCC ). Some delegates have voiced their opinions and submitted their proposals on public welfare issues, below is a roundup of these voices:
1. Ma Weihua, president of the board of directors of One Foundation and member of the CPPCC
Increase the salaries of people working for Chinese foundations, and promote “charitable trusts” by launching experimental projects and policies in Shenzhen.
2. Wang Ming, board member of China Charity Alliance (中国慈善联合会) and member of the CPPCC
Enhance the training and cultivation of public welfare sector professionals. Train different levels of public welfare sector talents using the resources of universities. Universities should set up different levels of degrees in philanthropy and social work as well as develop related think tanks.
3. Ma Huateng, CEO of Tencent and NPC representative
Use the internet to solve problems related to people’s livelihood. The government should promote the use of internet in public service work, and in dealing with issues concerning people’s livelihood such as air pollution problems.
4. Liu Gexin, president of Kelun Industry Group (科伦药业) and member of the CPPCC
Push the making of laws and regulations concerning rare diseases. There are no official definitions of rare diseases or related laws in China up until now, so it is very important to formulate such laws and advance the research and development of “Orphan Drugs” (drugs used to prevent, diagnose, and treat rare diseases).
5. Zhai Meiqing, president of the Heung Kong Group (香江集团) and member of the CPPCC
Find the best way to connect the public welfare sector with the financial system. The current threshold for setting up foundations is unreasonably high, and the situation is especially hard for non-public fundraising foundations. The government should assist the building of a favorable system to support non-public foundations to set up charitable trusts and take advantage of more potential resources.
6. Central Committee of the CAPD (中国民主促进会)
Encourage private investment in the elderly care sector and protect the rights of pneumoconiosis patients. Pneumoconiosis is one of the most dangerous occupational diseases in China, and most people suffering from the disease are migrant workers. To solve the problem, it’s necessary to build a comprehensive insurance system for people suffering from occupational diseases and set up funds to help pneumoconiosis patients.
7. Zhang Lihui, Director of Conservatory of Music of Chongqing Normal University and member of the CPPCC
Extend maternity leave to 3 years. An extended maternity leave would benefit both the mother and the child, and could serve as a complementary policy to the new retirement regime.
8. Ma Xu, director of the Scientific and Technological Research Office of National Health and Family Planning of China and NPC representative
Address the major problem of abandoned children. The percentage of babies with birth defects is climbing rapidly in recent years. Most abandoned infants or children were born with defects, which indicates the country’s social welfare system is seriously flawed. The government should provide free prenatal examinations for both native and migrant populations, and encourage private investment in the social welfare sector.
9. Gao Jixi, Director of Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, MEP and member of the CPPCC
Water and soil pollution deserves more attention than air pollution. The Ministry of Environmental Protection will not ignore any environmental issues, including water, soil and air pollution, but water pollution is relatively harder to deal with than air pollution.
10. Zhou Tao, well-known TV host of CCTV and member of the CPPCC
Chinese charitable organizations or NGOs should go international. Lots of issues have emerged while we develop economic and trade ties with bordering countries. Those issues could only be solved with the help from China’s social organizations.
11. Zheng Xuejun, host of Xuejun Studio of Wenzhou Evening Paper and NPC representative
Promote Chinese culture and spread positive energy. Xuejun Studio has been reporting issues of people’s livelihood and participating in public welfare activities since its establishment in 2013. The Studio will continue its public welfare work during the Liang Hui by working with Alibaba.
