On February 17, 2025, the 2025 Provincial Civil Affairs Work Conference was held in Haikou. The conference thoroughly reviewed and implemented General Secretary Xi Jinping’s key discussions and instructions on civil affairs work, while also incorporating the guiding principles of the 15th National Civil Affairs Conference, the 2025 National Civil Affairs Work Conference, and the 7th Provincial Civil Affairs Conference. It summarized the work of 2024, outlined the tasks for 2025, and mobilized the entire provincial civil affairs system to focus on the “12451” development path. (This path includes: “1”: Leading high-quality development by fully understanding and applying General Secretary Xi’s key discussions and instructions on civil affairs as ONE main line. “2”: Prioritizing TWO major tasks for high-quality development, including addressing the national strategy for population aging and improving social assistance, welfare, social services, and governance. “4”: Strengthening the FOUR areas as essential foundations for high-quality development, including policy systems, service guarantees, supervision frameworks, and public engagement. “5”: Focusing on FIVE key areas of civil affairs — building a robust, compassionate, connected, warm-hearted and people-centered civil affairs system. “1”: Establishing a loyal, capable, responsible and dedicated civil affairs workforce as the organizational backbone for high-quality development.) The conference emphasized the need to scientifically plan and fully implement key civil affairs tasks, striving to achieve tangible new results in the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port. The conference was attended by Zeng Feng, Secretary of the CPC Committee of the Hainan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, and Long Dingmin, Director of the Hainan Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, both of whom delivered speeches.

The conference highlighted that 2024 is a crucial year for achieving the goals set out in the 14th Five-Year Plan. The civil affairs system across the province is focused on addressing the practical needs of the people, dedicating efforts to solving their urgent, difficult, and concerning issues, while continuously enhancing their sense of gain, happiness, and security. First, significant progress has been achieved in basic social security: The monthly per capita standard for urban and rural subsistence allowances reached RMB 770 and RMB 750 respectively, while the monthly standard for basic living allowances for people in extreme poverty reached RMB 1,010. 49,600 low-income households were identified, and 6,500 families facing rigid expenditure difficulties were recognized. Additionally, 53,000 people received social assistance through services for low-income populations, and 55 charity aid programs were launched. A dynamic adjustment mechanism was established for the minimum living standard for orphaned and abandoned children, linking it with the subsistence allowance. Three regional children’s welfare institutions were upgraded and refurbished, benefiting over 91,000 orphaned children. Psychological assessments were conducted for over 3,000 children in difficulty. A total of 45,000 migrant children were monitored and screened, and 43 care service lists were established. Rehabilitation services were provided to 4,681 people with mental disabilities, totaling 260,000 service instances, completing the targets set by provincial-level public welfare projects. Living allowances for people with disabilities were increased to RMB 130, while the care subsidies for those with severe disabilities (Level II and Level I) were raised to RMB 190 and RMB 290 respectively. Second, recent strides have been made in elderly care and services: The “Elderly-Care Month” campaign was held, visiting and offering condolences to 12,000 elderly people. Accident insurance was purchased for 51,000 elderly people from special households. Ability assessments were carried out for more than 50,000 economically disadvantaged elderly people in the province, and 9,800 households with special needs received home modification services. Over 190,000 visits and care services were provided to elderly people. The “Senior Meal Service” provincial public welfare project was expanded, operating 118 elderly meal service facilities that served 500,000 elderly people. Ten new comprehensive elderly care institutions and 38 community-based elderly care service stations were established, providing in-home services to over 10,000 elderly individuals. Strategic cooperation agreements on elderly care tourism were signed with over ten provinces and cities. Third, several breakthroughs have been achieved in grassroots social governance: The “Public Welfare Hainan” social organization public welfare venture competition led to 62 successful small-scale charity projects. The “Hundred Organizations Linking Hundred Villages, Hand in Hand for Prosperity” initiative paired 125 social organizations with 209 rural areas, benefiting one million people. The “Government-Social Cooperation to Promote Investment and Business” campaign was launched, selecting business ambassadors from provincial chambers of commerce in Anhui and Inner Mongolia to attract investment in counties like Lingshui. A total of 145 charitable organizations were registered, and 38 community charity funds were established. Construction of civil service stations was promoted in 238 towns and neighborhoods across the province. Charity organizations raised donations totaling RMB 617 million, and charity project expenditures amounted to RMB 565 million. The sales of welfare lottery tickets raised RMB 804 million, generating RMB 220 million in public welfare funds. Fourth, basic social services have been enhanced. Three public cemeteries were completed, and 24 more public cemetery projects are under construction, along with seven funeral service projects. 21 3A-level marriage registration agencies were set up across the province. The “Rural Roads Naming” campaign was actively promoted, with 783 rural roads named in the first batch of nine cities and counties, and 634 VR code road signs installed. Over 30,000 rural place names were documented and mapped. A total of 46 county-level boundary lines and 309 boundary markers were inspected and completed.

The conference emphasized that 2025 is the final year of the 14th Five-Year Plan and marks the year the Hainan Free Trade Port will fully operate. The focus will be on building a robust civil affairs system, with an emphasis on leading civil affairs development through Party building. This includes further promoting the Party building brand that emphasizes Five Key Areas of Civil Affairs, ensuring that Party work and business work are planned, deployed, implemented, and evaluated together. A comprehensive summary and widespread application of the "12345" Party-business integration model will be adopted, and efforts will continue to build distinctive Party building brands. There will be a focus on joint Party activities, work style building, community consultation, policy training, special governance, practical services for the people, and addressing risks, creating a collaborative and progressive Party work framework. The meeting also highlighted the need to strengthen a compassionate civil affairs system by actively addressing the national strategy for an aging population. This includes advancing the “Silver Age Action” program, developing the elderly volunteer service brand, creating age-friendly environments, and speeding up the development of an elderly-friendly society. Efforts must be made to implement provincial guidelines to deepen elderly care service reforms, ensure the Home and Community Elderly Care Service Quality Improvement and Expansion as a priority livelihood project, and roll out the “Build Hub Stations and Bring Services to Homes” model for home- and community-based elderly care. Additionally, elderly meal assistance services should be enhanced to better meet the growing demand of seniors in their neighborhoods. Rural elderly care will be strengthened. Pilot projects for county-level elderly care systems and digital care services for the elderly and children will be expanded, and intensive care services for economically disadvantaged and disabled elderly individuals will be carried out, actively exploring models for mutual assistance in elderly care. There should be active encouragement for social forces to get involved in elderly care services, along with the development of local standards for retirement tourism. The retirement tourism model should be further promoted, and initiatives like the "Elderly Care Service Consumption Promotion Month" should be held to foster new growth in senior consumer spending. Efforts should also focus on enhancing the training of elderly care professionals, building a specialized workforce with a unique civil affairs focus. The provincial elderly care vocational skills competition should be organized, professional title evaluation standards for elderly care should be explored, and clear pathways for career development in the field should be established. Third, efforts should focus on solidifying a connected civil affairs system by promoting the healthy and orderly development of social organizations, aiming to create a dynamic and well-structured environment for their growth. This includes advancing the integration of party building into every aspect of social organization development through the implementation of “six synchronizations” and “two inclusions.” The management system for social organizations should be improved, with policies for standardized development and high-quality growth fast-tracked, especially focusing on Hainan’s “4+3+3” modern industrial system. High-performing organizations should be selected for ongoing tracking, and efforts should be made to streamline deregistration through legislative measures. The role of social organizations should be fully harnessed, particularly through initiatives like the “Hundred Organizations Linking Hundred Villages, Hand in Hand for Prosperity,” which supports the building of characteristic villages(towns) through rural and town partnerships. Social organizations, both local and external, should be engaged to attract investments at the city and county level. The second Social Organization Public Welfare Venture Capital Competition should be held, offering innovative approaches for social organizations to engage in governance. Pilots for public welfare communities in villages and towns should also be explored. The environment for nurturing social organizations should be optimized by expanding incubation centers, improving data collection capabilities, conducting organizational assessments, fostering government-social collaboration, and creating successful organizational brands and projects. Fourth, warm-hearted civil affairs system should be boosted to improve livelihood services. Social assistance policies should be refined, dynamic monitoring strengthened, and early warning information classified and addressed, guiding local civil affairs departments to fully identify families facing rigid expenditures and solidifying the implementation of tiered and categorized assistance. Pilot programs for service-related social assistance should be promoted, ensuring effective connections between government relief and charity efforts, while integrating anti-poverty and ongoing support policies for low-income rural populations. Social services should be optimized, with continued efforts to tackle issues in the funeral sector, increase infrastructure, improve policies for eco-friendly and economical burial practices, and promote green funerals. The welfare and protection policies for people with disabilities should be improved, with projects for mental health facilities accelerated, alongside the comprehensive implementation of community rehabilitation services for mental health patients. Regional pilot centers for relief management should be promoted, aiming to build a more scientific and efficient system. The management of administrative divisions and place names should be improved by conducting research on district settings and cultural heritage protection, exploring intelligent boundary stake management models, and enhancing the efficiency and convenience of boundary management. The “Rural Roads Naming” should be fully implemented, and demonstration areas should lead the way. Leveraging the place name management platform, the application and transformation of place name data should be strengthened, establishing a place name culture protection list to boost Hainan’s cultural influence. Fifth, the people-centered civil affairs system should be strengthened, promoting the development of social welfare services. With a heart full of love and care for the people, work should be done with dedication to enhance civil affairs service capacity, allowing the general public to truly feel the warmth and care from the Communist Party of China and government. Efforts should be made to enhance welfare support for vulnerable children, expand initiatives like the “Protect the Seedlings” program, and improve services for left-behind children in rural areas, children in difficult situations, and migrant children. The goal is to steadily increase the basic living standards for orphans, children without guardians, and other at-risk children. Child welfare institutions should be open and accessible, with stronger grassroots teams working in this area. The exploration of establishing professional qualifications for caregivers of disabled and orphaned children is also important to enhance service quality at the grassroots level. Marriage customs should be reformed, and the integration of the “Marriage Services + Wedding Tourism” industry should be explored to help develop the “Sweet Economy.” Public welfare charity should be supported by cultivating hub-type charity organizations, encouraging eligible towns (streets), villages (communities) to establish community charity funds, and promoting the development of community charity. The 10th “Chinese Charity Day” themed publicity event in Hainan Province should be held to actively promote the charitable culture of the Free Trade Port. The welfare lottery distribution and management system should be improved, with standardized management of lottery public welfare funds. Efforts should be made to strengthen the promotion of the welfare lottery brand and the public welfare culture it represents.

The meeting emphasized that the entire civil affairs system across the province must focus on the country’s major priorities, keep in mind the province’s key issues, and consciously align with the strategic positioning of the three zones and one center. This requires identifying gaps, taking on responsibilities, and transforming Hainan’s unique advantages into higher political awareness, deeper commitment to the people, broader perspectives, and a better work ethic. It is crucial to instill a sense of urgency with the mindset of “it’s never too early, but it’s always too late,” continuously improving political, thinking, and practical abilities. The meeting called for the comprehensive implementation of the five principles of “rigor, truth, precision, practicality, and speed” and focused on cultivating nine core values, including loyalty, accountability, a people-centered approach, courage to innovate, pragmatism, immediate action, meticulous attention to detail, professionalism, thrift, and integrity. The goal is to develop a robust work style characterized by boldness, initiative, and hard work, making significant contributions to the construction of the Free Trade Port and the deepening of civil affairs reforms.

The meeting was attended by the leadership team of the Provincial Department of Civil Affairs, department heads, and key officials from municipal, county, and autonomous county civil affairs bureaus and offices.