China’s charity and public welfare sector are witnessing unprecedented attention and support from the central government. From policy to practice, a series of decisions and deployments have paved the way for a broad outlook for the philanthropy sector, according to Sun Da, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and Secretary of the Party Committee of the China Charity Federation.
Traditionally, discussions around the sector mainly focused on material assistance and moral considerations. However, with the introduction of the “third distribution as an effective path to achieve common prosperity” theory, charity has been incorporated into China’s wealth distribution system as a mechanism to promote equality.
Therefore, Sun proposed measures to advance the high-quality and sustainable development of charity. Firstly, he advocated for increased promotion of charitable activities through policy and regulations, urging for the inclusion of charity in national economic and social development plans and the expansion of government procurement of services from charitable organizations.
Furthermore, he suggested enhancing incentives within the philanthropy sector by establishing a comprehensive national, provincial, municipal, and county-level commendation system, elevating the status of the “China Charity Award”, and encouraging various entities to incorporate charitable organizations and individuals into their respective commendation frameworks.
Moreover, Sun Da recommended integrating charity education into the national educational system, making first aid knowledge and skills compulsory subjects in primary and secondary schools, and incentivizing the acquisition of emergency aid certifications for drivers and job seekers.
