China readjusts 2,497 administrative approval items

BEIJING - In its efforts to transfer government functions, China's central government cut or readjusted 2,497 administrative approval items over the past decade, a government report said Tuesday.

The figure accounted for 69.3 percent of the total items, according to the annual report on the construction of China's legal system in 2012 published by the China Law Society.

Meanwhile, more than 37,000 administrative approval items, or 68.2 percent of the total, were canceled or readjusted by authorities at or below the provincial-level, according to the report.

The Chinese government has vowed to take drastic measures to reduce items that demand official approval or to delegate such power to lower levels.

In March, Premier Li Keqiang said the Chinese government will cut the existing 1,700 administrative approval items by at least one-third in the coming five years.