Guard against system blind spots! The Communist Party of China strengthens party building in the digital economy. Delivery drivers and Internet celebrities are expected to become representatives of the 21st National Congress

As Beijing seeks to bring emerging labor groups closer to official ideology, delivery people, ride-hailing drivers and online marketers (influencers) will have the opportunity to become delegates to the Communist Party of China’s five-yearly National Congress for the first time.

The 21st National Congress of the Communist Party of China (21st National Congress), which will be held in the second half of next year, has released guidance on the election of representatives on the 7th. According to the official Xinhua News Agency, the 21st Congress is expected to elect 2,360 representatives, who will vote for more than 300 Central Committee members and alternate members from the reviewed candidate lists.

The Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee told Xinhua News Agency on the 8th that representatives should come from various fields, including business, science and technology, national defense, politics and law, education, publicity, culture, health, sports, social governance, and "new employment groups." The Organization Department pointed out that when electing representatives, grassroots units must consider the balance of industries, fields and regions to ensure broad representation from all walks of life.

The Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China emphasized: "In areas where new economies and new business models are highly developed and new employment forms account for a large proportion, outstanding party members from these "new employment groups" should be recommended as representative candidates." Xinhua News Agency pointed out that selecting good candidates is the basis for the success of the 21st National Congress. The task of the conference is to summarize the work of the past five years and establish the future direction and goals of the party and the country. Candidates will be recommended by local party organizations and reviewed by higher authorities before being submitted for a vote.

The "new employment group" that generally refers to gig workers (gig workers) has entered China's official vocabulary in recent years. Chinese officials define them as workers who have emerged with the rise of the Internet and digital economy, including delivery persons, online ride-hailing drivers and online marketers who are highly dependent on online platform operations.

Beijing increasingly regards this highly mobile labor group as a blind spot in the system. By establishing party organizations in technology companies and delivery logistics centers, the authorities are trying to ensure that the rapid growth of the digital economy does not overtake political cohesion. According to a landmark document passed by the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, which concluded on October 29, the CCP has vowed to strengthen party-building work for this group and called on these groups to be guided to "listen to the party and follow the party."

Last year's data showed that among China's 725 million employed people, there were about 84 million gig workers, including about 12 million food delivery workers and 7 million online ride-hailing drivers.

In October last year, China's State Council issued a guideline calling for greater efforts to "better protect the rights and interests of this type of labor group." The opinion urges strengthening supervision of these industries, improving information disclosure, and curbing "rat-race" vicious competition.