The number of administrative items subject to approval by the State Council offices and departments has been slashed by 44 percent in the past five years, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday.[Special coverage]
Li made the remark when delivering his annual government work report to lawmakers during the opening meeting of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China’s national legislature, which is being held in Beijing from March 5 to 20.
Reforms to streamline administration and delegate powers, improve regulation, and optimize services have driven profound shifts in the functions of government, and significantly strengthened market dynamism and public creativity, Li said.
China's advancing of supply-side structural reform demands removing bureaucracy and government-imposed transaction costs.
According to Li, the practice of non-administrative approval has been completely ended and the number of business investment items subject to central government approval has been cut by 90 percent over the past five years. Meanwhile, intermediary services needed for obtaining government approval has been cut by 74 percent, and the requirements for professional qualification approval and accreditation have been significantly reduced.
