EVENTS

Governance has become a popular catchphrase in China, becoming synonymous with China’s development model and also marking a departure from other systems. The Chinese model has evolved with the unique characteristics of the Communist Party-dominated state system, which identifies the ruling party, as the node of political, economic, and social interactions. This arrangement makes the Communist Party of China (CPC) the final arbiter vis-à-vis citizens and other popular agencies as well as institutions. Under its rule, the CPC seeks to make the regime a ‘resilient’ political system. Likewise, the Party-state reflects such a call for global institutional reforms and governance, envisioning an extension of its domestic governance agenda. From the changing political, economic, and societal landscape at home, to projecting its  global ambitions, China has attempted to shape its governance narrative.

Regime survival has become a primary task since the formation of the People’s Republic in 1949. The CPC’s continued reign has also necessitated to “strengthen Party’s governing capacity” (jiaqiang dang de zhizheng nengli) as a clarion call for the current Chinese leadership under Xi Jinping. The Party-state has undergone transformation, from being a ruling ideology to casting its image on party memberships and state structures. The often-tested governance system not only makes rules, laws, and policies but also allocates and distributes resources. It also negotiates inter-group and inter-spatial relations. These changes also carry ramifications for state-society relations, that is, the nature and evolution of China’s domestic polity, economy, and society.

The second edition of the China’s Domestic Governance Conference in 2025, therefore, looks to explore the evolving state-society relations in the Chinese Party-state. It will seek to discuss China’s idea of governance, its policies, and institutional reforms, rejuvenation or innovation for regime resilience. Some of the tentative sub-themes are but not limited to:

• Rule of Law in the Party State
• Rural and Urban Governance
• State-Civil Society Relations
• CPC and the Private Sector
• Religious and Ethnic Relations
• Labour and Welfare in the Party-state
• Technology/Innovation and Governance

Presentation/Participation in the conference is only through invitation