[Commune Leader's Reply] Should KangAi Commune Seek State Recognition? How Can It Obtain It?

A member named "Never Give Up" asked on the forum:

In the long run there is a direct way for the Commune: getting the state to recognize KangAi Commune. How can we get the state to recognize it?

Commune leader Zhang Mading replies:

What is "state recognition"?

In my understanding, state recognition may come at several levels: not prohibiting it, issuing a document that explicitly expresses support, and legislative support. Let us begin with the question of whether the state will prohibit it.

In the past I was indeed quite worried about this. Historically I wrote to the CIRC and to the Premier of the State Council (for example, here is one letter to the Premier) to introduce the Commune's model, and I once gathered a thousand signatures to send to the Premier. We too worried whether the state would prohibit what we are doing.

But later my thinking gradually changed: is this demand for state recognition even reasonable?

First, is what we do just and reasonable? Is it beneficial to society? Can it help some groups? Does it contribute to social stability? If so, why would the state prohibit it?

Second, are our actual tools and path — registration, finance, taxation — complete? Are the commercial institutions and public-interest organizations we work with legally established organizations in China? If so, why would the state prohibit it?

Third, is our way of doing things sufficiently open and genuine, sufficiently transparent? Have we obtained improper gains illegally? Have we deceived members to some harmful end? Have we violated national laws and regulations to the point of criminal conduct? If not, why would the state prohibit it?

Looking at the broader environment, China today is still tolerant of and supportive toward innovation; where the law does not prohibit, one may act. On the other hand, it is impossible for the state to issue a document explicitly expressing support for every industry. The Commune is an innovative model that officials and legal experts have explicitly distinguished from insurance and mutual insurance, and which is not illegal fundraising; as a new model it is entirely normal for the law to be unclear in places. Did Alipay or ride-sharing have any so-called "state recognition" at the start? This is a problem many innovative industries face.

Finally, and most importantly: the crowd insurance model first appeared in China in 2011 and has developed for only a few years; the whole industry has not yet played much of a role in the overall social security system. Before it has proven that it can play a major role, on what grounds should the "state," busy with a thousand affairs, pay attention to us and grant us recognition?

This also answers the question of how to get the state to explicitly express support: as long as we work tirelessly to solve real problems for people and provide society with an unending stream of positive energy, then when we come to play a role of a certain magnitude, we will surely receive the recognition we hope for.

For now, keeping our heads down and working hard is the essential thing.