為官不為 (wéiguān bùwéi): Officials just going through the motions

At the State Council's third meeting on clean governance on Monday, Premier Li Keqiang stressed the significance of curbing corruption, and pointed out that inaction is also a kind of corruption that should be addressed.

Li said that some officials lack awareness of the Party's rules and they fail to carry out reform and development as they should. Some officials occupy their positions but are perfunctory at work, he said. This year the authorities and officials at various levels should sign liability statements on the major economic reform policies, investment projects and people's livelihood projects. All the major tasks should be strictly fulfilled in time.

Moreover, the authorities will carry out a specific campaign to supervise officials and deal with any inaction and omissions. Once a problem is found, responsible officials should straighten it out within a limited period. The authorities should expose those officials that just sit in the office but do nothing useful for the public. If they cause adverse impact due to their dereliction of duty, these officials should be dealt with according to the Party's regulations and the law. Premier Li's warning reminds all the officials to properly perform their duties for the benefit of the people.