This Day, That Year

Item from April 21, 1998, in China Daily: Officials and armed police place a new sign at the entrance of the State Forestry Bureau. The bureau was created, based on the former Ministry of Forestry, under the ongoing government restructuring, which was ratified by the National People's Congress in March.

Ministries and State administrations are pressing ahead with government restructuring - by deciding their sizes, numbers of staff and their functions. Redefining government duties and separating administrative functions with business management, required by the developing market economy, is the reform's guiding principle ... the Ninth National People's Congress endorsed the State Council's ambitious restructuring plan in March, slashing the number of ministries from 40 to 29.

Since the reform and opening-up policy was launched in the late 1970s, China has carried out six rounds of government reform to improve work efficiency and administration.