Hosted by the Institute for China & World Studies and the School of Political Science & International Relations (SPSIR) of Tongji University, theTongji Serial Lectures on Social Sciences No.31 was successfully held in the Lecture Hall on the 10th floor of Zhonghe Building on November 12, 2020. Mr. Zhu Guanglei, a chair professor at Nankai University, former Vice President of Nankai University, a distinguished professor of the Changjiang Scholars Program, Deputy Director of the National Political Science Education Steering Committee, and Vice President of the Chinese Association of Political Science, was specially invited to give a keynote speech entitled “Research on the Laws of China’s Service-Oriented Government Construction”. This lecture was moderated by Tongji Distinguished Professor Men Honghua, President of the Institute for China & World Studies, Dean of SPSIR, and Director of Tongji Center for Research on International Cyberspace Governance, and attended by more than 100 teachers and students of Tongji.

First of all, Prof. Zhu talked about “some preliminary understandings of the laws of service-oriented government (SOG) construction”, believing that SOG construction is essentially to transform government functions. On this basis, he reviewed the research status of SOG and pointed out that this concept was first proposed by the academia together with Dalian and Shanghai. The SOG construction was officially launched in 2003. Prof. Zhu added that this is not a “concrete work”, but an overall direction of the Chinese government’s efforts.

Next, Prof. Zhu explained the five laws of SOG construction. First, SOG is a “government whose main function is to provide public services under modern conditions”, including public service system, increase in financial investment, equalization of public services, interaction between government and society, and improvement of working processes and services. Prof. Zhu believes that public services are playing an increasingly important role in SOG construction. Second, the SOG construction is a new stage in the transformation of government functions. Prof. Zhu said that the four government functions are expressed and prioritized in different ways at different stages of national development and in countries with different social systems. Based on this, he reviewed the transformation history of government functions, and especially analyzed and explained the sentence contained in the report to the 19th CPC National Congress: “The government needs to transform its functions, further streamline administration and delegate powers, develop new ways of regulation and supervision, and strengthen its credibility and administrative capacity, building itself into a service-oriented government able to satisfy the needs of the people”. Third, the SOG construction is an undertaking that needs to be promoted in a modern society, which requires two conditions: a medium level of development and a good financial situation, and a high level of governance. Prof. Zhu pointed out that the process of globalization has pushed a modern China to a post-modern stage, so it must take into account both strengthening governance and improving services during the SOG construction. Fourth, the SOG construction is a process of two-way interaction involving multiple players. Prof. Zhu suggested a cooperation mechanism under which government provides public services for multiple players. SOG should be built by both the government and the civil society. Fifth, the SOG construction requires innovation in the way public services are rendered. Prof. Zhu believes that the reform of administrative examination and approval is a breakthrough point for the transformation of government functions at this stage. It is necessary to streamline the invisible steps.

In this witty and informative lecture, Prof. Zhu shared his understanding of the laws of China’s SOG construction with Tongji teachers and students. In the Q&A session of both ideological and realistic significance, Prof. Zhu answered questions related to government responsibility system, administrative culture and governance, receiving warm applause from the audience.

In closing, Dean Men first thanked Prof. Zhu for his long-term guidance on and support for the development of political science at Tongji. He said, “What makes a great university is its faculty rather than buildings.” Prof. Zhu is a famous scholar of political science actively connecting with the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and related ministries and commissions. He has done valuable and fruitful research on building into an SOG and promoting the transformation of government functions. Dean Men believes that Prof. Zhu’s wonderful lecture will enable the audience to gain a deep understanding of the SOG construction. The logic and views of this lecture reflects the height of a philosopher, breaking our metaphysical understanding of political science, and letting the audience to feel more deeply that political science is just all around us. In the end, Dean Men once again expressed his gratitude and respect to Prof. Zhu with a quote fromThe Analects of Confucius “A good teacheris good at giving methodical and patient guidance. He will enrich my knowledge with ancient books and instruct my behaviors with etiquette, so that I can’t stop learning even if I want”.