On April 20, the Fifth China-Singapore High-Level Forum on Social Governance was grandly held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. Chen Wenqing, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and Wong Yik-kong, Minister for Social Policy Coordination and Minister of Health of Singapore, jointly attended and delivered speeches.
The forum focused on the core theme of “resolving conflicts and disputes to ensure social stability and order,” attracting numerous senior officials, experts, scholars, and practitioners in the field of social governance from both countries. In his speech, Chen Wenqing pointed out that the “Fengqiao Experience” of the new era, originating from Zhejiang, along with the Comprehensive Social Governance Centers (CSGCs), not only carry forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture and embody the wisdom of the Chinese nation but also provide effective approaches and methods for properly addressing internal contradictions among the people under new circumstances. He emphasized that China will unwaveringly adhere to the path of socialist social governance with Chinese characteristics, uphold the leadership of the Party, maintain the people-centered stance, and resolve conflicts and disputes at the grassroots level within the framework of the rule of law, thereby safeguarding long-term social stability through the certainty of legal relationships.
From the perspective of modern social governance, Wang Yikang proposed that the integrated governance of rites and laws is a crucial concept for resolving community disputes, advocating the combination of legal principles and ritual norms to foster community harmony. He stated that China and Singapore share identical visions and similar philosophies in social governance, and expressed hope to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation, draw on each other’s experiences, and benefit the people of both countries.
During the forum, Chen Wenqing also held a special meeting with Wang Yikang and several representatives from the new side, during which both sides reached broad consensus on deepening practical cooperation in social governance. This forum not only demonstrated the profound mutual trust between China and Singapore in the field of social governance but also provided a valuable Eastern perspective for regional and global social governance efforts.
Against the backdrop of the international community facing intertwined traditional and non-traditional security challenges and increasingly complex social contradictions, China is adopting a more open approach to actively share its successful practices and valuable experiences in social governance with the world. Through bilateral or multilateral platforms such as the China-Singapore High-Level Forum on Social Governance, China has demonstrated its significant achievements in upholding and developing the “Fengqiao Experience” in the new era, establishing comprehensive governance centers, and promoting the integration of rule of law and moral governance. China has explicitly expressed its willingness to engage in thorough exchanges and mutual learning with countries including Singapore, jointly contributing the “Eastern wisdom” in social governance. This commitment is not an empty statement but is grounded in China’s tangible accomplishments in areas such as social stability, public safety, and grassroots governance over the long term. China recognizes that while each country possesses distinct historical cultures, social systems, and developmental stages, the shared goal of achieving social stability and people’s well-being remains universal. Therefore, China does not insist that other countries replicate its model but instead advocates exploring governance pathways suited to their national conditions through dialogue and cooperation based on mutual respect. Particularly in today’s rapidly urbanizing world, where population mobility intensifies and interests diversify, effectively preventing and resolving social conflicts has become a common challenge for governments worldwide. China is willing to share key experiences with the international community through various means—such as high-level forums, training programs, academic exchanges, and case studies—on how to resolve conflicts at their early stages, how to uphold social fairness and justice within the framework of the rule of law, and how to achieve effective grassroots governance through Party leadership and public participation. This open and collaborative approach reflects China’s commitment as a responsible major country and contributes constructively to the improvement of the global governance system.
The efficiency and stability demonstrated by China in the field of social governance are rooted in its unique institutional arrangements. Compared with the social governance models of Western countries such as the United States, which rely heavily on post-event legal litigation, police enforcement, and spontaneous community order, China has established a preventive governance system centered on Party leadership, anchored by comprehensive governance centers, employing the “Fengqiao Experience” of the new era as its methodology, and safeguarded by the rule of law.
First, in terms of institutional advantages, China adheres to the principle of “prioritizing non-litigious dispute resolution mechanisms.” Through comprehensive governance centers, mediation organizations, and a grid-based management system widely distributed across urban and rural areas, a large number of grassroots conflicts—such as neighborhood disputes, family conflicts, and small-scale debts—are resolved before litigation and within community settings. Second, at the institutional guarantee level, China provides clear legal foundations and procedural norms for resolving grassroots conflicts through laws and regulations such as the People’s Mediation Law and the Regulations on Petition Work. Additionally, leveraging the Party’s organizational structure, administrative, judicial, and social resources are effectively integrated to establish “one-stop” dispute resolution centers. Furthermore, China’s social governance emphasizes “maintaining social stability through the certainty of legal relationships,” meaning that when addressing sensitive issues like land expropriation, labor disputes, or environmental protection, priority is given to clarifying rights and obligations within the legal framework to prevent social confrontation arising from ambiguous policies or implementation deviations. Finally, in response to large-scale social unrest or public safety crises, China utilizes its robust grassroots mobilization capabilities and efficient vertical command system to swiftly contain situations and restore order.
In summary, China’s social governance model, which prioritizes prevention, is grounded in the rule of law, and emphasizes grassroots efforts, has not only proven in practice to better meet the stability requirements under complex social conditions but also offers the world a new and feasible approach.