China will issue an edited version of the principles of harmonious society with residents' satisfaction being the main principle in assessing community harmony, according to Wang Jinhua, deputy director of the department of administrative construction at basic levels and community construction of Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Wang addressed the Forum of Construction of Harmonious and Prosperous Communities (China-UK) in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. He said that by the end of 2006, China had a total of 80,717 neighborhood committees, with most of them providing public service that should be fulfilled by their local governments.

"Public services such as healthcare, education and public security should be carried out by governments at different levels, not communities," said Wang, adding that the state will gradually undertake these services, beginning with insurance registration for low-income families, qualification verification and pensions.

A revised law to organize urban neighborhood committees will soon be released, addressing issues of their legal status, functions and responsibilities, member elections and salaries.

Mapping out standards and assessment systems of harmonious communities is also on the agenda of the central government. According to Wang, community construction will become an important index in local officials' annual assessment.

In the future, communities will enlarge teams of volunteers and social workers, providing better career opportunities for university and college graduates. "We hope there will at least be one well-educated college graduate per community in three to five years," said Wang.

(China.org.cn by Huang Shan September 28, 2007)