China’s ‘two sessions’: petitions upgrade ‘sign Beijing is listening’

The State Council office responsible for hearing public complaints has been given more power in an administrative restructure

Experts said the move is part of the leadership’s efforts to address grievances accumulated over three years of zero-Covid policies

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The elevation of China’s petitions office is seen as part of an effort to address grievances that built up over three years of strict Covid-19 controls. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:00am, 10 Mar 2023

Beijing has signalled its willingness to pay more attention to public criticism and concerns by upgrading the State Council office responsible for receiving complaints and petitions, experts said.

The National Public Complaints and Proposals Administration has been elevated to the rank of an affiliated institution, putting it on a par with the taxation office. It previously reported to the State Council’s general office.

The change was announced on Tuesday, along with the restructuring of several other State Council offices, as part of the “two sessions” parliamentary meetings in Beijing.

Experts believe the upgrade is part of Beijing’s efforts to address growing public displeasure about lower level government and signals a willingness to resolve complaints accumulated over the past three years of China’s zero-Covid policy.

“The status elevation signals that Beijing wants to show it cares about its people,” said Zhou Qiang, a Peking University political science scholar and senior research consultant at Offcn Education Technology Co.

The office mainly serves as a collection point for information on public grievances, which are then submitted to upper government agencies for response. Its Chinese name, Xinfangju, means the “letters and visits” bureau.