China urges strict control on new approval items

BEIJING -- The State Council, or China's cabinet, has released a circular urging strict control of newly established administrative approval items, in an effort to transfer government functions.

"New drafts of laws and regulations generally should not establish new administrative approval items. Those that feel it is necessary to do so must abide by the administrative approval law and adopt strict standards," said the circular, which was made public on Thursday.

According to the document, administrative approval has huge influence on people's life and work and must be strictly controlled.

The circular cited enterprises' investments, products, manufacturing and management activities, certification and other fields where new administrative approval should be kept to a minimum.

The move came after the Chinese government vowed to take drastic measures to reduce the number of items that demand official approval or to delegate such power to lower levels.

Official figures released in June revealed that China's central government cut or readjusted 2,497 administrative approval items over the past decade, or 69.3 percent of the total items.

"No administrative approval procedure is allowed concerning issues that can be solved through technological standards, management criteria or other measures; multiple administrative approval items should not be permitted when one item can function well," the new circular said.

Meanwhile, the document called for regulation of the procedures used to review the establishment of new administrative approval items, urging decision makers to weigh in with as many opinions as possible.

Supervision and evaluation should be strengthened on existent administrative approval items, it said.

"Illegally established new administrative approval items or conditions must be resolutely rectified, and those responsible for them should be severely handled if they result in serious consequences," the circular added.