Issues and viewpoints

The central government has pledged to streamline government functions and improve administrative effectiveness since the country's leadership took office in November 2012. Since 2013, the central government has canceled more than 500 administrative examination and approval items and promised to do more in the future. Premier Li Keqiang said in his Government Work Report that the government will continue to streamline administrative procedures and delegate powers to allow the market to play a more decisive role. Comments:

I have been calling for delegation of government powers to lower levels, but it should be carried out under the premise that governments of lower levels are capable of handling things well. Sometimes powers are delegated from provinces to cities and even counties, but counties have no professional teams of civil servants who understand how to use the powers to better serve the people. The efficiency and effect of delegating powers, under such circumstances, is not good.

Tang Yilin, NPC deputy and chairman of Jinan Shengquan Group