Beijing has given another clear sign of its determination to strengthen control of mainland society by arguing that the Communist Party and the government should not easily delegate social management powers and functions.
In an article published in Qiushi magazine yesterday, Zhou Benshun, general secretary of the party's Political and Legislative Affairs Commission, said China must not follow the experiences introduced by Western countries and must perfect 'a social management system with Chinese characteristics'.
'[The system should be] led by the party, and the government should be responsible for it,' Zhou said in a piece entitled 'Social management can't fall into the trap of 'civil society',' warning that authorities must regulate NGOs to stop the growth of groups with 'ulterior motives'.
Qiushi, which translates as 'seeking truth', is the flagship magazine of the Central Party School, the top training centre for party officials.
The discussion on how to improve 'social management' has become a major topic in political circles since February, when President Hu Jintao introduced the phrase at a Politburo meeting.
The country's 12th five-year plan for 2011 to 2015, approved by the National People's Congress in March, for the first time devoted a separate section to of 'social management'. It explicitly mentioned delegating certain government agency functions to social organisations.
Vice-President Xi Jinping also repeatedly highlighted the importance of innovative social management during the NPC's annual meeting and on a later fact-finding trip to Hunan .