Regions turn in reform plans

By Tan Yingzi (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-01-17 08:19

A nationwide government reform plan will take shape soon following last year's restructuring of the central-level ministries and commissions, the State Commission Office for Public Sector Reform said on Thursday.

So far, reform plans for 15 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions have been approved, and the rest of the country will hand in their restructuring schemes very soon, the office said.

"This local administrative reform project will refer to the former reforms of the Cabinet ministries and commissions with the local practice," office director Wang Dongming told the People's Daily on Friday. "It should be instructive and feasible and give room for innovations to the local government."

Last March, the central government launched its third major government restructuring in a decade to lessen government control over the market and shift its focus to administrative matters and services.

Central-level ministries, commissions and departments with overlapping functions were merged into five "super ministries" to "boost administrative efficiency and reduce cost". Four ministry-level departments and commissions were eliminated, their different wings assimilated into 15 ministries or commissions.

The new "super ministries" are Industry and Information, Human Resources and Social Security, Environmental Protection, Housing and Urban-Rural Construction, and Transport.

In the first half of this year, provincial-level governments should focus on the implementation of the reform plans, speed up the shifts of its functions from economy building to public service and clarify the responsibilities of the government departments, Wang said.

Local institutional reform will address three major areas, he said: shifts in government function, the establishment of "super departments" and improvement in the management system related to the revamp.

Professor of the Party School of CPC Central Committee Zhou Tianyong said the local government should deal well with pressure from related authorities in order to better carry out the revamp project.

"The reshuffle must affect the interests of many people and the success of the reform depends on the determination of local leaders," Zhou told China Daily on Friday.

He also said officials should take different approaches in administrative reform according to different local situations.