Low-level officials must shoulder responsibility

To improve public administration the State must encourage low-level government officials to shoulder administrative responsibilities, governance experts said.

"It is crucial to establish a systematic structure to encourage low-level officials' working passion," said Xu Yaotong, public administration professor of the Chinese Academy of Governance, during a seminar on administrative reform and public administration, run by the Chinese Academy of Governance on Tuesday.

China's anti-graft campaign has produced results by dissuading corrupt officials from illegal practices, but has made some officials reluctant to do their jobs for fear of being accused of abuse of power.

"Premier Li Keqiang warned local officials reluctant to shoulder their duties in the 2015 government report, which indicates that officials' reluctance had become a serious issue obstructing public governance," Xu said.

More than 60 renowned scholars in public administration from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan attended the event.

Experts agreed that governance reform and improvement brought China's economic prosperity in the past three decades.

Reform of the administrative system is the key to enhance State governance, said Wei Liqun, former director of the State Council Research Office and current president of the China Society of Administrative Reform. He added that Taiwan has accumulated discoveries and experience in governance and the seminar would be a platform for scholars to share this experience.