China's democracy puts the people first

As of October 9, a total of 343,751,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across China's 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. China ranks first in the world in terms of the number of vaccines administered and the population of people vaccinated.

Temporary vaccination sites that operate 24 hours a day have been set up in many Chinese cities, making vaccines more accessible to the public. The cost of vaccines and vaccinations in China is completely covered by the health insurance funds and other administrative funds, and people are enjoying "universal medical services".

Vaccination is just one aspect of China's improving social security system. As of the end of 2020, China's basic medical insurance coverage had exceeded 1.36 billion people, with a stable insurance participation rate of over 95 percent. Almost every Chinese person is covered by the universal healthcare system, the largest one in the world, with 90 percent of families able to reach the nearest medical point within 15 minutes and life expectancy per capita increasing from 74.8 years to 78.2.

Making healthcare and medicine affordable to farmers is a major strength of China's healthcare policy.

"Some years ago, I had to treat 95 percent of my patients by making house calls by motorcycle. Every day, I would ride more than 50 kilometers on mountain roads, and my motorcycle broke down several times."

He Xinglong, a doctor in Letang village, Xujiazai township, Da'ning county, Shanxi province, said: "Now life is much better. The county has built and expanded 75 clinics in less-developed villages, recruited 42 village doctors, and grants each one of them a monthly subsidy of 1,000 yuan. The policy not only keeps the village medical staff stable, but also makes it more convenient for villagers to see a doctor."

He Xinglong's village, Letang, is located on the east bank of the Yellow River, with non-arable land and more than 140 families scattered on a 10-kilometer-long hillside. Most of the village's young people are working in cities, leaving behind mostly women, children, and the elderly.

Da'ning county, where Letang Village is located, was once an impoverished county in Shanxi, which was just lifted out of poverty not long ago. In order to address more than 50,000 rural residents' need for seeing a doctor, the county has made great efforts to make full use of poverty alleviation funds, equipping each village with a standardized clinic. He Xinglong's clinic was also upgraded, being equipped devices such as an ECG, an all-in-one health machine, a blood pressure meter, and a remote consultation device.

"With a medical insurance card in hand, everyone in the countryside now can afford to see a doctor," He Xinglong told China Youth Daily. "In recent years, the rural medical situation has improved. With the remote consultation system, I am able to conduct online communication and consultation with experts from Peking University Third Hospital and other top hospitals. I can also contact a good urban hospital in time, so that villagers can go there for further treatments.

"No winter lasts forever, no spring skips its turn. We are with you." At 3 pm on February 12, 2020, Wei Ben, a young volunteer, broadcast her first message after arriving at Cabin Hospital in Zhuankou, Wuhan.

Wei Ben is from CCCC SHEC Construction Engineering Company Limited and is a Chinese Youth League branch committee secretary. After Zhuankou Fangcang Hospital broadcast the call on young people to join and help, Wei Ben immediately signed up.

In the disinfectant-filled office of the hospital, Wei Ben devoted herself to operating the broadcasting station from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm every day. Wei Ben said that every day she would be touched by the heart-warming things happening at the hospital.

From the first day of the volunteer service to the closure of the hospital, young volunteer Wu Zhengliang was never absent for a single day. On days when tasks were urgent, he would work more than 12 hours, walk more than 20,000 steps, and make more than 60 phone calls for working communications.

Before starting his service in the fangcang, or makeshift hospital, Wu was following the notices of the CYL district committee on a daily basis and offered generous help. However, volunteering in the hospital was a totally different challenge. "Compared with other volunteer service points, the risk of infection was much higher at the fangcang."

But he did not hesitate. "When the country and the people are in danger, we should go where we are needed the most," said Wu Zhengliang with pride.

Du Bin, 32, is a project manager of China Construction and Installation Group Co. When COVID-19 first broke out, he arrived at the construction site immediately after receiving the task of building the Leishenshan Cabin Hospital in Wuhan, where he was responsible for material coordination and logistics management.

"If not us the young people, who?" When Du Bin first arrived in Wuhan, he still felt nervous, but that emotion was soon swept away by the scene of nearly 10,000 people working together. "I think we share the same goal—to complete the construction of the hospital as early as possible so that the patients can recover as soon as possible."

With a few hundreds of calls to make every day, even two phones quickly ran out of their battery within half a day despite being charged by power banks. Du Bin walked more than 30,000 steps per day, which he refers to as the "Pace of Wuhan". He said, "I'm just doing what a builder should do."

After the COVID-19 emerged, young Chinese from all walks of life volunteered to engage in the fight against the epidemic—catering company managers, deliverymen, engineers, university students, and baristas all became volunteers. The humanitarian spirit and solidarity they demonstrated in the fight deeply touched the UN Secretary-General's Youth Envoy Jayatma Vikramanayake. She found that youth and youth organizations around the world have used their expertise, creativity and compassion to inspire, support, uplift, and connect more of their peers, showing the beauty of humanity. "We will finally get through this crisis." She said that history will also bear witness that it is the world's young people who have helped build the bridge from fear to hope, from confusion to clarity.

In young people such as Du Bin, people see that the interests of the people are above everything. The Communist Party of China always puts the people first, has the people in its heart, and always represents the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of Chinese people.

In China, the people enjoy broader, fuller, and more comprehensive democratic rights. China has promoted fuller and higher-quality employment, built the world's largest education system, social security system and healthcare system, and vigorously improved people's living standards and the quality of their living environment.

In April 2022, China's State Council Information Office released a white paper titled Youth of China in the New Era. The document pointed out: "As fairness and justice in society have steadily improved and people's rights and interests have been effectively safeguarded, young people in China in the new era can grow and prosper in a better legal environment and enjoy stronger policy support, more reliable social security, and greater care from a range of organizations."

China's inclusive social security services have been further developed. Young Chinese can enjoy the protection of the social security system from day one of their career, and be free from concerns of all types as they work hard for better life. They can live comfortably, work without worries, and feel secure about their future. The government has introduced a series of policies to support flexible employment through multiple channels, gradually improving social security for flexible employees and supporting young people to engage in flexible employment. Housing security for young people is increasing, and more major cities are increasing the supply of subsidized rental housing for new citizens and young people to make housing easier. Basic pension insurance has been aligned at the national level, and unemployment insurance and work injury insurance have continued to expand coverage on young workers, lifting social security for young people to a new level.

People's happiness is the greatest human right. This is the ultimate secret to China's achievements: exercising power for the people, showing concern for them, and working for their interests. These are what the Communist Party of China has been adhering to.