Thereformisunprecedentedlylarge,deepandexpansive.Itwilloptimizethegovernment’sfunctionsbypromotingcoordinatedactionsandimprovinglevelsofmanagementandpublicservicetobettersatisfypeople’sexpectationsandnationaldevelopmentalneedsinanewera.
GuoAn
AnNPCdeputyandMayorofNanchang,southeastChina’sJiangxiProvince
China’sXinhuaNewsAgencycallsitthe“biggestgovernmentreshuffleinyears”inwhatisseenasadramaticcontinuationoftheprevioussevenroundsofcabinetrestructuringthatbeganin1982.
TheinstitutionalrestructuringplanoftheStateCouncil,China’scabinet,wasadoptedonMarch17attheSeventhPlenaryMeetingoftheFirstSessionofthe13thNationalPeople’sCongress(NPC),thecountry’snationallegislature.
“Thereformisunprecedentedlylarge,deepandexpansive,”saidGuoAn,anNPCdeputyandMayorofNanchang,capitalofsoutheastChina’sJiangxiProvince.“Itwilloptimizethegovernment’sfunctionsbypromotingcoordinatedactionsandimprovinglevelsofmanagementandpublicservicetobettersatisfypeople’sexpectationsandnationaldevelopmentalneedsinanewera.”
Eliminatingconfusion
Intotal,thenumberofministerial-levelentitiesisreducedbyeightandthatofvice-ministerial-levelentitiesbysevenafterthereshuffle.
Accordingtotherestructuringplan,functionsthathavelongoverlappedareintegrated.Forexample,fourministriesoflandandresources,waterresources,environmentalprotectionandagriculturewereinvolvedinwaterpollutiontreatmentandpreventionbeforetheshake-up.Whenwaterpollutionwasexposedbythemediaorlocalresidents,thesedepartmentshadoftenpassedthebuckamongthemselvesinsteadofdealingwiththeproblemimmediately.ThenewMinistryofEcologicalEnvironmentisresponsibleforthecompilingandimplementationofecologicalenvironmentpolicies,plansandstandards,aswellasecologicalenvironmentmonitoringandlawenforcement,aimingtoputallproblemsconcerningpollutionunderoneroof.
“Whenafrogjumpsintoariver,itisinthechargeoftheMinistryofAgriculture.Butwhenthefrogisbackonland,itistheStateAdministrationofForestry’sresponsibility,”saidLouJiwei,amemberoftheNationalCommitteeoftheChinesePeople’sPoliticalConsultativeConference(CPPCC),China’stoppoliticaladvisorybody,referringtothepreviouslyrigiddivisionofresponsibilitiesbetweengovernmentdepartments.“Itisthesetypesofproblemsthathaveconfusedpeopleaboutwheretheyshouldgowhentheyneedconsultationorhelp.”
“Thereformcomesatacrucialtime,”ChenXi,headoftheOrganizationDepartmentoftheCommunistPartyofChinaCentralCommittee,saidinanarticleinthePeople’sDaily.“Itwillsupporttheeffortsoverthenextthreeyearstowardbuildingamoderatelyprosperoussocietyandlayafoundationforbuildingagreatmodernsocialistcountrybythemiddleofthecentury.”
Whilesomecentralgovernmentdepartmentsarekeepingtheiroriginalnames,theirfunctionswillchangeconsiderably.Forexample,manypowersoftheNationalDevelopmentandReformCommission(NDRC)havebeentransferredtonewly-formedorrestructuredministriesandadministrations.Forexample,thenewMinistryofAgricultureandRuralAffairshasincorporatedpartofthefunctionsthatbelongedtotheNDRCaswellasministriesofcommerce,landandresourcesandwaterresourcesbeforethereshuffle.
“TheMinistryofAgricultureandRuralAffairsisn’tsimplyaddingthewords‘ruralaffairs’tothenameofthepreviousMinistryofAgriculture,”saidDangGuoying,anexpertonagriculturefromtheChineseAcademyofSocialSciences.“Thedevelopmentofagriculturecan’tbeachievedsimplybyworkingonthefarmland.Thechangeofthenameshowstheimportanceattachedtothesocialdevelopmentofruralareas.”
Dangsaidagriculture-relatedfundsinthepastweredispatchedtoseveraldepartmentsandtheMinistryofAgriculturecouldonlymanagepartoftheallocations.Now,withthereform,suchfundswillbeforwardedtooneministry,optimizingitsuse.
AnotherexamplewillseethenewMinistryofNaturalResources,whichmergestheMinistryofLandandResourcesandtheNationalAdministrationofSurveying,MappingandGeoinformation,combinesoversightofalltypesofnaturalresources-fromlandtooceans-inoneplace.
DeputiesvoteforaninstitutionalrestructuringplanoftheStateCouncilattheFifthPlenaryMeetingoftheFirstSessionofthe13thNPConMarch17Newentities
Besidestheministriesthatcombineorreplaceoldones,sometotallynewentitieshaveemerged,suchastheministriesofveteransaffairsandemergencymanagement.
TheMinistryofVeteransAffairsisinchargeofmakingandimplementingpoliciesandregulationsrelatedtodemobilizedmilitarypersonnelanddealingwithrelatedaffairssuchastheirreemploymentandtraining.Itsestablishmentaimstoprotecttherightsandinterestsofmilitarypersonnelandtheirfamilies,improveservicesandmanagementsystemsfordemobilizedmilitarypersonnelandpromotepublicrespectformilitaryserviceasanoccupation.
TheMinistryofEmergencyManagementoverseesthecompilingandimplementationofemergencymanagementplans,aswellasorganizesrescueandrelieffordisastersandworkplaceaccidents.Itisalsoinchargeofworksafetyandthepreventionandcontroloffire,flood,droughtandgeographicaldisasters.TherearealsonewagenciesundertheStateCouncilafterthereshuffle.OneexampleoftheseistheInternationalDevelopmentCooperationAgencywhichwillbeformedbymergingsomefunctionsoftheMinistryofForeignAffairsandtheMinistryofCommerce.WhenunveilingtheinstitutionalrestructuringplantotheFirstSessionofthe13thNPConMarch13,StateCouncilorWangYongsaidthenewagencywill“givefullplaytoforeignaidasakeymeansofmajor-countrydiplomacy.”
TheStateImmigrationAdministration,setupundertheMinistryofPublicSecurity,willformulateandenforceimmigrationrulessince“thenumberofforeignersworkingandlivinginChinahasbeenincreasing,raisingnewrequirementsonimmigrationadministrationandservices,”accordingtoWang.
TheStateMarketRegulatoryAdministrationappearssettobeapowerfulnewregulatorforcompaniesoperatinginChina,incorporatingfunctionsoftheStateAdministrationforIndustryandCommerce,theGeneralAdministrationofQualitySupervision,InspectionandQuarantineandtheChinaFoodandDrugAdministration.Thechangesalsocreatethecountry’sfirstagencyspecializinginanti-monopolyissues.
Inanothercase,theBankingandInsuranceRegulatoryCommissionhasbeenformedtoreplaceboththeChinaBankingRegulatoryCommissionandtheChinaInsuranceRegulatoryCommission,withthegoalofsolvingexistingproblemssuchasoverlapinresponsibilities,cross-regulationandlackofsupervision.Thenewbodywillenhanceoversightofbothbankingandinsuranceindustriesandbemoreeffectiveinforestallingrisksinthefinancialsector.
WangtoldlawmakersonMarch13thatthereform,whichfocusesoninstitutionalrestructuringinkeyareas,willstrengthenthegovernment’sfunctionsoneconomicmanagement,marketsupervision,socialmanagement,publicserviceandecologicalandenvironmentalprotection.
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