Quotable

"If the number of staff members working on budget approval could be increased by 100, many billions of yuan will be saved each year. I think people will agree with the idea."

Xiong Wenzhao, a professor at Minzu University of China, suggested on Saturday more staff members working in the top legislature could result in better inspections of government departments' budget reports. As the Budgetary Affairs Commission of National People's Congress Standing Committee has limited staff, it cannot finish the proposed budgets in a short time. The second reading of the draft amendments to the Budget Law had received more than 300,000 suggestions as of Saturday night.