Published by ChinaMNC · Wuqiang

Hengshui Opens Public Consultation on 2026 Livelihood Projects: What Foreign Founders Should Know

Hengshui's municipal government is collecting public suggestions for its 2026 livelihood projects until 15 December 2025. Foreign founders operating in the city can use the channels to flag practical issues affecting business operations and daily life.

Hengshui Seeks Public Input on 2026 Livelihood Priorities

The Hengshui Municipal People's Government Office has issued a public notice inviting residents, businesses and other stakeholders to submit suggestions for the city's 2026 "livelihood实事" (people's livelihood practical projects). The consultation runs from the date of the notice, 15 October 2025, until 15 December 2025.

The notice states that the purpose is to further protect and improve people's livelihoods, address issues that residents urgently raise, and raise residents' sense of gain, happiness and security. For foreign founders with a registered company or operating presence in Hengshui, the exercise is worth noting: it is one of the structured channels through which local government collects feedback on public services and urban management that can affect how a business and its staff live and work in the city.

What the Consultation Covers

The notice focuses on matters closely tied to people's daily lives. The listed areas are:

• Public education
• Medical and health services
• Entrepreneurship and employment
• Social security
• Transport and travel
• Food safety
• Housing security
• Urban management
• Ecological environment
• Rural revitalisation
• Elderly care and disability support
• Culture and sports

Two of these categories are directly relevant to foreign-invested businesses. "Entrepreneurship and employment" covers the environment in which companies recruit and operate, while "urban management" and "transport and travel" touch on the practical conditions staff encounter daily. The notice does not specify separate treatment for foreign businesses, so submissions should be framed as general public suggestions within the listed categories.

What Falls Outside the Scope

The notice is explicit about exclusions. Matters that should be resolved through legal channels such as litigation, arbitration or administrative reconsideration are not accepted. Neither are reports, petitions or similar matters. Foreign founders with a specific dispute, enforcement issue or regulatory appeal should therefore use the appropriate legal or administrative route rather than this consultation. The consultation is intended for forward-looking suggestions on public services, not for resolving individual cases.

Four Criteria for Suggestions

The notice sets out four principles that submissions should follow. Understanding these helps ensure a suggestion is taken seriously.

1. Broad public benefit

Suggestions should relate to everyday life and benefit a wide group of people, reflecting fairness and universality in policy. A proposal that only helps one company is unlikely to fit; one that improves a shared service used by many firms and residents fits the stated criteria.

2. Focus on urgent difficulties

Priority is given to weak links in social management and public services that residents strongly report and urgently need resolved. Founders who have encountered a widely shared practical bottleneck — for example, in a public service area listed above — may find this criterion relevant.

3. Practical and feasible

Suggestions should be grounded in Hengshui's actual conditions, match the city's current economic and social development level, and be capable of being implemented within the year or of showing clear visible progress. Proposals requiring resources far beyond the city's current capacity are less likely to advance.

4. Compliant with laws and regulations

Suggestions must conform to national laws and regulations and current policy. This is a straightforward filter: proposals that conflict with existing rules will not be considered.

How to Submit

The notice asks participants to follow a "one matter, one submission" approach. Three channels are available:

• WeChat: Search for and follow the "衡水征集" (Hengshui Collection) official account and leave a message directly.
• Email: Send to [email protected] with the subject line marked "民生实事征集" (livelihood project collection).
• Hotline: Call the 12345 government service hotline and state that you are participating in the livelihood project collection activity.

Each submission should state the project name, the specific content, and the reasons for the proposal. Participants are also asked to leave their name and contact details. The notice encourages broad participation from the public and all sectors of society.

What Happens to Submissions

According to the notice, collected suggestions will be sorted, studied and scientifically assessed. They will serve as an important basis for screening and evaluating candidate projects for Hengshui's 2026 livelihood projects and for their subsequent voting and implementation. The stated aim is to ensure that good intentions are turned into solid results.

The notice does not promise that any particular suggestion will be adopted, nor does it set out a timetable beyond the 15 December 2025 closing date. Foreign founders should treat it as a feedback channel rather than a decision-making commitment.

Practical Takeaways for Foreign Founders

For companies registered or operating in Hengshui, the consultation offers a low-cost way to raise shared operational issues that fall within the listed livelihood categories. Suggestions are more likely to be considered if they are specific, affect a broad group, are feasible within the city's means, and comply with current law. Submissions should be made in the required format through one of the three official channels before the deadline. Matters involving legal disputes should be directed to the proper legal channels.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.