Oversight of approval process

AN ESSENTIAL PART OF GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY in China lies in the long lists and complicated procedures for matters subject to examination and approval. A logical and necessary component of government reforms is streamlining those lists and procedures. But like reforms in any other field, vested interests will not give up without a fight.

Premier Li Keqiang's alert about the "obsession with examination and approval" hit the right note because it is a clear and present threat to ongoing reforms. The murky links between "intermediate organizations" and government agencies reveal a prevailing tendency to continue controlling and profiting from examination and approval procedures.

Since many matters previously subject to government scrutiny are now relegated to "third-party" institutions for professional and industry review and certification, many such "intermediate institutions" affiliated to or with close ties with government departments are the new overseers. The only difference is they operate in the name of non-governmental organizations and can charge more. Which is why many citizens and enterprises complain things have not become any less troublesome after the government divested itself of some of these matters.