Shi Taifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, emphasized the need to strengthen the law-based governance of religious affairs and ensure the effective implementation of tasks for united front work during a survey in Central China's Hunan province from Feb 23 to 25. 

During his trip to the cities of Changsha and Hengyang, Shi visited private enterprises to understand their work on developing new quality productive forces. He visited universities, research institutes, and cultural and creative industry parks to learn about the participation of non-CPC members in key national projects and the development of talent pools. He also toured religious sites, religious colleges, and grassroots communities to assess developing religions in the Chinese context and the integration of religious work management into grassroots social governance. He visited historical and cultural sites to gain insights into the history and traditions of the united front and met with united front officials working at the grassroots level. 

Shi highlighted the role of the united front in building consensus, urging private entrepreneurs to enhance their confidence in development and pursue high-quality growth. He called for improvement in political guidance mechanisms to inspire innovation and creativity among non-CPC intellectuals and people from emerging social groups. He also emphasized the importance of strengthening the ranks of non-CPC members so as to maximize their roles in united front work. 

Shi also held a symposium on religious work, soliciting opinions on developing religions in the Chinese context and strengthening the law-based governance of religious affairs. He stressed the need to ensure the correct political orientation in religious work, and provide active guidance for the adaptation of religions to socialist society. He also urged efforts to address key issues in religious work, crack down on illegal religious activities and support religious circles in strengthening self-governance. Accountability needs to be reinforced, institutional mechanisms need to be improved, and governance capacity needs to be enhanced in order to boost the overall effectiveness of united front work, he noted.