China News Service, Handan, November 13th, Title: "New Maple Bridge" connects "Hebei, Shandong and Henan" Hebei famous people solve the problem of inter-provincial boundary management
Author Li Yusu Zhang Kai Bai Ruinan
Recently, walking into the office of the People's Mediation Committee of Shuguan Town, Daming County, Handan City, Hebei Province, Zhou Shuhong, director of the People's Mediation Committee of Shuguan Town, was learning about a local inter-provincial economic dispute.
It is understood that the economic dispute between Ji, a party in Shuguan Town, Daming County, Handan City, and Zhang, Dongduzhuang Town, Shen County, Liaocheng City, Shandong Province, has not been resolved for many years. He often heard people say, "If you can't understand, ask Lao Zhou," so he approached Zhou Shuhong for help. After Zhou Shuhong learned the whole story, she immediately called the mediator of Dongduzhuang Town, Shen County.
On November 10, in the People's Mediation Office of Shuguan Town, Daming County, Handan City, Hebei Province, the mediator (right) communicates with the masses. Photo by Xi Shouzheng
Similar inter-provincial joint mediation has become the norm in Daming County. The county is located at the junction of Hebei, Shandong and Henan provinces, with 10 of the 20 towns bordering neighboring provinces, involving a population of 370,000, accounting for half of the county's permanent population. Local people frequently intermarry and do business across provinces, and cross-regional disputes occur frequently.
In May 2019, Daming County, Xin County, Guan County, Shandong, and Nanle County, Henan, jointly signed the "Implementation Opinions on the Construction of the "New Maple Bridge" Connecting Hebei, Shandong and Henan Provinces to Connect the People's Hearts of the Three Provinces" to establish a comprehensive resolution mechanism for cross-provincial conflicts and disputes, led by the party committees and governments at the county and township levels, with county-level construction, township departments, and police stations, judicial offices, courts, and people's mediation committees in the three provinces and four counties to accurately connect at the same level.
"For inter-provincial disputes, the most important thing is to have a mediator whom both parties trust. In the past, such cases often relied on personal relationships, but now the 'public-to-public' channel can be quickly opened with the help of the joint mediation WeChat group." Zhou Shuhong said that this mechanism relies on the inter-provincial joint mediation WeChat group and the mediator's address book to establish communication channels. A WeChat message or a phone call can connect mediators from neighboring counties.
In addition to regular communication and docking, the four counties take turns holding joint meetings every year. The police stations, judicial offices, courts and people's mediation committees of the four counties jointly participate to keep abreast of dispute dynamics and understand social conditions and public opinion. The implementation of the mechanism relies on the normal operation of mediation teams at the town and village levels.
On November 10, staff (left) and mediators of the Judicial Office of Shuguan Town, Daming County, Handan City, Hebei Province reviewed files. Photo by Xi Shouzheng
According to reports, Daming County currently has 2,751 mediators, most of whom are village cadres, retired cadres, retired teachers, etc., and implements a working mechanism of "one shoulder to shoulder" between the village party branch secretary and the director of the village mediation committee. If the dispute involves multiple counties, the mediation committees of both parties will jointly formulate a mediation resolution plan; if the contract cannot be fulfilled immediately, judicial confirmation will be directed; if the dispute remains unresolved for a long time and meets the conditions for legal aid, it will be transferred to legal aid channels.
It is understood that since its establishment, this mechanism has mediated more than 2,700 cross-regional conflicts and disputes, and has recovered about 500 million yuan in direct losses for the parties concerned. In 2022, the project "Daming County, Hebei Province: Resolving Provincial Conflicts and Disputes (Three Counties in Hebei, Shandong and Henan Provinces) to Help Revitalize Commonly Prosperous Rural Areas" was rated as the second batch of national demonstration projects for the construction of a rule of law government; in 2023, the governance experience of "Daming County, Hebei Province: 'Xinfengqiao' connects 'Hebei, Shandong and Henan' and 'Three Three Systems' to break the 'three no matter'" governance experience was selected into the "Typical Experience and Cases in the Demonstration and Creation of National Rule of Law Government".
"The boundary line should not be the end of governance, but the starting point of cooperation." Liang Juncheng, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the Daming County Justice Bureau, said that currently, driven by the demonstration of a comprehensive resolution mechanism for cross-provincial conflicts and disputes, the four counties are promoting cross-provincial coordination and collaborative supervision in areas such as administrative approval, judicial cooperation, cultural tourism, and file inquiries.
