Opinions of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council on Promoting the Deepening Reform of Industry Associations and Chambers of Commerce
Opinions of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council on Promoting the Deepening Reform of Industry Associations and Chambers of Commerce
To promote the deepening reform of industry associations and chambers of commerce, and to foster their standardized and healthy development, with the approval of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the following opinions are hereby put forward.
I. General Requirements
Adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and its subsequent plenary sessions, uphold and strengthen the overall leadership of the Party, adhere to a people-centered approach, maintain the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, fully and accurately implement the new development philosophy, strengthen Party building guidance, focus on both active cultivation and development as well as strict supervision and management, improve the management systems and operational mechanisms of industry associations and chambers of commerce to adapt to the high-level socialist market economy system, perfect the comprehensive governance system combining government regulation, social supervision, and self-discipline/self-governance, optimize the structural layout and development environment of industry associations and chambers of commerce, promote their transformation and development in accordance with the requirements of marketization, specialization, and standardization, and fully leverage their positive role in serving economic and social development.
II. Uphold and Strengthen the Overall Leadership of the Party
(I) Streamline the management system for Party building work. Accelerate the construction of a Party building work pattern that combines vertical and horizontal integration, top-down linkage, and effective coordination. Establish and improve the working mechanism of "managing Party building while managing the industry," and implement the responsibility of all departments for joint management. Further streamline the subordination relationships of Party organizations in industry associations and chambers of commerce, and establish and improve a Party organization system with full coverage and smooth operation. For industry associations and chambers of commerce with competent business authorities, their Party building work shall be led and managed by the Party organizations of the competent business authorities, under the work guidance of the social work departments of the Party committees.
(II) Enhance the political and organizational functions of Party organizations. Improve the quality of coverage of Party organizations and Party work, and improve the mechanism for Party organizations to play their roles. Carry out actions to improve the quality of Party building in industry associations and chambers of commerce, promote the standardized and normalized construction of Party branches, and comprehensively consolidate the foundation of Party building work. Party organizations in industry associations and chambers of commerce must strictly fulfill their duties in accordance with the Party Constitution and relevant intra-Party regulations, implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, strengthen the political responsibility for leading development, and unite and serve practitioners in their respective industries and fields; strictly implement the responsibility system for ideological work, and effectively prevent and resolve risks in the ideological field.
(III) Strengthen the standardization of general elections and the development of the team of persons in charge. Strictly regulate general elections in accordance with regulations, laws, and articles of association, promote the effective participation of Party organizations in industry associations and chambers of commerce in decision-making on major matters such as important personnel arrangements, establish and improve mechanisms for regular general elections of councils and reminders for persons in charge reaching retirement age, standardize and refine election procedures, strengthen the rectification of election irregularities, and increase efforts to correct and punish violations during elections. The social work departments of Party committees must highlight political standards, strengthen political checks, and do a good job in reviewing candidates for persons in charge. Establish and improve systems for the nomination, review, public announcement, supervision, and exit of persons in charge of industry associations and chambers of commerce. Promote the implementation of "two-way entry and cross-appointment" between党员 management personnel and members of Party organization leadership teams. Establish and improve systems for regular performance reports and accountability of principal persons in charge. Strictly regulate the establishment of honorary positions for persons in charge. Strengthen the supervision and management of persons in charge, and make timely adjustments for those who do not meet the conditions or are incompetent, unqualified, or otherwise unsuitable to serve as persons in charge.
(4) Continuously strengthen supervision and discipline enforcement. Party organizations in industry associations and chambers of commerce must effectively fulfill their primary responsibility for comprehensive and strict Party governance, while internal disciplinary inspection bodies must effectively fulfill their supervisory responsibilities, improving disciplinary inspection mechanisms in light of actual conditions. Strengthen the standardization, legalization, and regularization of disciplinary inspection work, establish and improve systems for handling problem clues, and seriously investigate and deal with violations of regulations and discipline such as those contravening the spirit of the Central Committee's Eight-Point Regulation. Improve anti-corruption and integrity-building systems in industry associations and chambers of commerce, deepen the rectification of unhealthy tendencies and corruption issues, and integratedly promote the mechanisms where officials dare not, cannot, and do not want to be corrupt.
III. Improve the management systems and operational mechanisms of industry associations and chambers of commerce
(5) Consolidate and expand the results of decoupling reforms. Establish and improve a management system under the unified leadership of the Party committee, with overall coordination by the Party committee's social work department, and with registration management authorities, industry management departments, competent business authorities, and relevant functional departments each performing their duties, coordinating and cooperating, and conducting comprehensive supervision. For industry associations and chambers of commerce with competent business authorities, gradually promote institutional separation, functional separation, financial independence, and personnel autonomy as required, strengthen daily guidance and management supervision, and achieve independent, lawful, standardized operation and healthy, orderly development.
(6) Continuously deepen the reform of the registration system. Study and formulate measures for the direct registration of industry associations and chambers of commerce, establish a mechanism for sharing registration information, and simultaneously clarify the industry management department at the time of establishment registration. Standardize the scope and conditions for member recruitment by industry associations and chambers of commerce at different levels. Explore simplified cancellation procedures for industry associations and chambers of commerce, and improve the exit system.
(7) Explore the establishment of a classified management system. Strengthen classified supervision of industry associations and chambers of commerce, scientifically allocate supervisory resources and implement differentiated management based on classification. Increase supervisory efforts, raise the proportion of random inspections and the frequency of checks for industry associations and chambers of commerce that are authorized by laws and regulations or entrusted by Party and government organs to manage public affairs, possess a certain degree of compulsoriness or monopoly, and have frequent daily problems or high risks of violations. Establish and improve the system for requesting instructions and reporting on major matters, and strengthen supervision over key areas such as fees, assets and finances, foreign-related exchanges and cooperation, ideology, and important business activities of industry associations and chambers of commerce. Improve the grade evaluation system for industry associations and chambers of commerce.
(8) Consolidate departmental management and service responsibilities. Clarify the industry management departments for industry associations and chambers of commerce under direct registration and decoupling; where multiple departments are involved, the primary industry management department shall be designated. Industry management departments shall strengthen work contacts with relevant industry associations and chambers of commerce through exchanges, symposiums, visits, surveys, and soliciting opinions, and implement responsibilities for business guidance, industry supervision, and party building according to their functions. Localities and relevant departments shall sort out management and service matters involving industry associations and chambers of commerce, focus on identifying problems arising after decoupling, and study and propose improvement measures. For industry associations and chambers of commerce that have not been decoupled, their competent business authorities shall continue to strengthen management and services.
(9) Establish and improve social supervision mechanisms. Establish an information disclosure system for industry associations and chambers of commerce, and encourage and support news media, the public, and members in supervising industry associations and chambers of commerce. Explore the establishment of professionalized and socialized third-party supervision mechanisms. Ensure smooth complaint and reporting channels, and establish and improve mechanisms for handling complaints and reports and providing feedback.
(10) Promote the enhancement of law-based self-governance capabilities. Strengthen the development of joint and comprehensive industry associations and chambers of commerce, and leverage the demonstrative and leading role of national industry associations and chambers of commerce. Establish and improve systems for member (member representative) assemblies, councils (standing councils), and supervisory boards (supervisors) of industry associations and chambers of commerce, and improve internal management systems with the articles of association as the overarching framework. Implement democratic election, consultation, decision-making, management, and supervision. Standardize the establishment and strictly manage administrative offices and branch (representative) offices. Regulate the fee-charging behavior of industry associations and chambers of commerce as well as foreign-related exchanges and cooperation.
(11) Comprehensively strengthen asset and financial management. Establish and improve financial management systems for industry associations and chambers of commerce, strictly implement accounting laws, regulations and systems, and ensure that accounting data is authentic, complete and accurate. Industry associations and chambers of commerce shall implement the main responsibility for asset management and clarify the scope of major asset matters. Standardize internal decision-making and management of industry associations and chambers of commerce, and guide asset management activities to revolve around main responsibilities and core businesses. Strengthen comprehensive supervision of assets of industry associations and chambers of commerce, and improve an asset management model with clear ownership, standardized order, openness and transparency, and strict supervision.
(12) Strictly manage the establishment of enterprises by industry associations and chambers of commerce. Industry associations and chambers of commerce shall, in accordance with the principles of legality, necessity, standardization and effectiveness, strictly control the establishment of enterprises; they shall not establish enterprises that have a direct competitive relationship with members, shall not establish enterprises beyond their own purposes and business scope, and shall not use the established enterprises to engage in conduct that disrupts market order; enterprises established by them generally shall not further establish new enterprises, shall not operate externally in the name of the industry associations and chambers of commerce, and the profits obtained shall be used for causes consistent with the purposes of the industry associations and chambers of commerce; persons in charge of industry associations and chambers of commerce and their branch (representative) offices, as well as relatives of the aforementioned persons in charge, shall not hold positions or receive remuneration and subsidies of various kinds in the established enterprises. Formulate administrative measures for the establishment of enterprises by industry associations and chambers of commerce, strictly regulate the establishment procedures, improve regulatory measures, and strengthen risk control.
IV. Adjust and optimize the structural layout of industry associations and chambers of commerce
(13) Optimize structural layout. In accordance with the principle of coordinated efficiency, optimize and integrate industry associations and chambers of commerce that have overlapping business scopes, are too small in scale, have overly细分 sector divisions, or have weak functional roles. Accelerate, in accordance with the law, the withdrawal of industry associations and chambers of commerce that are dysfunctional, disrupt order, operate in shrinking industries, or have completed their stated missions; focus on cultivating and prioritizing the development of industry associations and chambers of commerce that align with major national strategies and regional development positioning, meet the needs of industrial transformation and upgrading, and serve the development of new quality productive forces; actively support the establishment, in accordance with the law, of industry associations and chambers of commerce in fields such as strategic emerging industries, future industries, and green low-carbon industries.
(14) Reasonably regulate scale. Increase integration efforts for national industry associations and chambers of commerce. For local industry associations and chambers of commerce, strengthen macro-level regulation and guidance based on changes in local economic and social development and industrial structure. For city-level and county-level industry associations and chambers of commerce, simplify exit procedures in accordance with the law and control the overall scale through orderly competition. Following the principle of piloting first and steady promotion, conduct pilot initiatives in fields where national industry associations and chambers of commerce are relatively concentrated and in selected localities; after accumulating experience, roll out steadily.
V. Actively leverage the functional roles of industry associations and chambers of commerce
(15) Standardize industry development. Industry associations and chambers of commerce shall establish and improve industry self-discipline management systems and self-regulatory constraint mechanisms, consciously resist “involutionary” competition; formulate and organize the implementation of industry professional ethics codes, carry out industry credit evaluation work in accordance with the law, enhance the level of industry integrity construction, and better maintain industry development order. Members who violate self-discipline rules shall be disciplined through measures such as public notification, suspension, or cancellation of membership. Actively leverage the role of industry associations and chambers of commerce in resolving petition-related conflicts, and explore the establishment of professional mediation organizations within industry associations and chambers of commerce.
(16) Expand service functions. Industry associations and chambers of commerce shall guide members and practitioners to study, understand, and implement the Party's theories, lines, principles, and policies; promote the implementation of national development strategies and relevant industry-specific plans; and foster high-quality industry development. Provide services such as information consultation, publicity and training, market expansion, and rights protection in accordance with the law, and promptly reflect the reasonable demands of members and the industry. Conduct in-depth research and surveys, carry out industry statistics in accordance with the law, strengthen monitoring and forecasting of economic operations, and provide risk warnings. Formulate and implement high-quality group standards, promote the construction of an advanced industry standard system, actively participate in the research and formulation of industry laws, regulations, policies, and plans, and better promote the application and dissemination of new technologies and new products. Build branded public service platforms to support the development of advanced industry clusters. Proactively participate in comprehensive rural revitalization, social governance, volunteer services, public welfare and charity, food safety, emergency rescue, and other work.
(17) Participate in international exchange and cooperation. Industry associations and chambers of commerce, especially national-level ones, shall actively participate in relevant international exchanges and cooperation as well as in the formulation of international standards and rules, and promote mutual recognition between domestic standards, certification and accreditation and their international counterparts. Participate in or promote the establishment of international economic and trade dialogue mechanisms, and serve to build international supply and procurement matchmaking platforms. Guide and promote industry enterprises to actively participate in jointly building the “Belt and Road” Initiative as well as global industrial division of labor and cooperation.
VI. Optimize the development environment for industry associations and chambers of commerce
(18) Optimize support policies. Encourage localities and relevant departments to formulate and implement policy measures supporting the transformation and development of industry associations and chambers of commerce in light of actual conditions. Implement relevant preferential tax policies. Encourage financial institutions to provide financial support to eligible industry associations and chambers of commerce in accordance with market-oriented and rule-of-law principles. Encourage social forces to support the development of industry associations and chambers of commerce. Establish and improve the training and evaluation system for practitioners, and smooth career development channels. Strengthen talent cultivation and training for industry associations and chambers of commerce. For functions and matters suitable to be undertaken by industry associations and chambers of commerce, localities and relevant departments shall transfer or entrust them, in accordance with the law and procedures, to qualified industry associations and chambers of commerce. Establish institutionalized channels for collecting people’s suggestions from industry associations and chambers of commerce. Share relevant information and data with eligible industry associations and chambers of commerce in accordance with the law.
VII. Strengthen organizational implementation
Under the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, all regions and relevant departments must adopt a "holistic" mindset and effectively implement these guidelines in light of local conditions. Party committees and governments at all levels must strengthen organizational leadership and promptly address major issues. Social work departments of Party committees at all levels must enhance overall coordination and supervision to ensure that relevant policies and measures are implemented and yield tangible results. Strengthen publicity and guidance to create a favorable environment supporting the development of industry associations and chambers of commerce. Major matters must be reported to the CPC Central Committee and the State Council in accordance with established procedures in a timely manner.