China further cuts administrative approval items

 BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The State Council, China's cabinet, has decided¹ to remove or modify 314 administrative² examination and approval items in order to further clear systematic³ obstacles for its social and economic development and curb⁴ corruption⁵.

The decision was included in a statement released Wednesday after an executive meeting of the State Council, which was presided over by Premier⁶ Wen Jiabao.

According to the statement, 184 administrative approval items will be canceled, while the power to approve 117 items will be handed down to government departments at lower levels. Thirteen items will be merged⁷ into other items.

This round of reductions, the sixth of its kind since the reform of the administrative approval system kicked off in 2001, mainly covers investment and social projects, with a special focus on the real economy, small and micro-sized enterprises and private investments.

In the statement, the State Council hailed the administrative approval reform for "forcefully" pushing forward the transformation⁸ of governmental functions, strengthening the market allocation of resources and boosting lawful⁹ administration.

The reform has also been seen as an effective measure for improving the government's efficiency and fighting corruption.

Figures from the State Council show that a total of 2,497 administrative approval items, including those in the sixth round, have been rescinded¹¹ or adjusted in the past ten years, accounting¹² for 69.3 percent of the total.

Previous reports said the reform was aimed at cleaning up China's over-regulated administrative approval system, which had led to unnecessary government intervention¹³ in small business.

The statement stressed that the reform should be continued to further rescind¹⁰ or adjust administrative approval items with the principle of "reducing and delegating whatever that is necessary."

"Governments should refrain from topics that citizens, corporations or other organizations can handle independently, a market competition mechanism¹⁴ can effectively adjust, or industrial groups and agencies can manage," the statement read.

It stressed that newly established approval items must be "examined for their legality, necessity and rationality" in accordance with official procedures, adding that no departments will be allowed to establish items that go against laws and regulations.

Online examinations and multiple examinations and approvals should be used to boost the administrative approval service level, according to the statement.

All relevant departments should strengthen cooperation after the modification¹⁵ of items in order to identify respective responsibilities, as well as strengthen monitoring to avoid "a vacuum of supervision," it said.

It also called for intensified¹⁶ anti-corruption efforts, as well as severe punishments for officials who abuse their power.

Reforms of the system should be combined with other reforms concerning investment, financing, taxation¹⁷ and administrative management in order to organize relations between the government, enterprises and individuals, it said.

The State Council also decided to list south China's Guangdong province as a pilot region for administrative examination and approval system reforms during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015).

During the trial, several items in the region that were previously¹⁸ covered in the system will not undergo or undergo simplified procedures concerning administrative examination and approval.

Conducting the trial in Guangdong, the bridgehead of China's reform and opening up, is in accordance with the need to transform government functions, according to the statement.

It will also serve as a model for deepening nationwide administrative examination and approval system reforms and improving the socialist¹⁹ economic system, the statement said.

Relevant departments should cooperate with the Guangdong provincial²⁰ government to solve potential problems and ensure the trial's success, the statement said.

A draft regulation concerning the protection of meteorological facilities and the environment was also approved at the council's meeting.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

3 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

4 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

5 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

6 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

7 merged   

（使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中

参考例句：

• Turf wars are inevitable when two departments are merged. 两个部门合并时总免不了争争权限。
• The small shops were merged into a large market. 那些小商店合并成为一个大商场。

8 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

9 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

10 rescind   

v.废除，取消

参考例句：

• They accepted his advice and rescinded the original plan.他们听从了他的劝告，撤销了原计划。
• Trade Union leaders have demanded the government rescind the price rise.工会领导已经要求政府阻止价格上涨。

11 rescinded   

v.废除，取消( rescind的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Rescinded civil acts shall be null and void from the very beginning. 被撤销的民事行为从行为开始起无效。 来自互联网
• They accepted his advice and rescinded the original plan. 他们听从了他的劝告，撤销了原计划。 来自互联网

12 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

13 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

14 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

15 modification   

n.修改，改进，缓和，减轻

参考例句：

• The law,in its present form,is unjust;it needs modification.现行的法律是不公正的，它需要修改。
• The design requires considerable modification.这个设计需要作大的修改。

16 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 taxation   

n.征税，税收，税金

参考例句：

• He made a number of simplifications in the taxation system.他在税制上作了一些简化。
• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。

18 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

19 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

20 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。