China requires Party building in social groups’ charters

China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) said it requires social organizations to include Party building in their charters to ensure their correct political direction and strengthen the Party’s leadership over social organizations.

Social organizations have to make clear in their charters that they would establish Party units and organize Party events. They should also implement socialist core values and observe social morality, according to a notice issued on the MCA’s website on Monday.

Including content on Party building and socialist core values in the charter of social organizations ensures the correct political direction and value of such organizations, and is significant for the healthy development of these organizations, the MCA said.

Highlighting Party building in social organizations requires them to uphold Party leadership and stress political awareness, the MCA said.

“The notice implements the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which ensures the Party’s leadership over all work,” Su Wei, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Chongqing, told the Global Times.

The report of the 19th National Congress of the CPC stressed the need to strengthen the building of primary-level Party organizations, and ensure that primary-level Party organizations in enterprises, villages, schools, communities and social organizations play a key role in communicating the Party’s propositions and carry out the Party’s decisions.

Many social organizations had established Party units before the notice was issued, and Party units serve to help organizations in their operations, such as communicating with governments and supervising their work, Xu Jialiang, a professor at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, told the Global Times.

“But Party units in these organizations are a political core rather than leadership core, which means the Party does not control these organizations and does not issue orders on operations,” Su said.

The notice was issued following the MCA’s campaign to combat illegal social organizations from April to December, and the ministry has shut down or dismissed over 300 illegal social organizations in the first quarter of the year.

Fraudulent organizations have damaged the Party’s and nation’s reputation, and hurt the credibility of social organizations, the ministry said.