The endorsement of the plan will bring down the number of ministries under the State Council to 25 from the previous 27.

 

　　This includes splitting the Ministry of Railways into commercial and administrative units.

 

　　It will also see several other government departments merging, including the media regulators - the General Administration of Press and Publication and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, combine into a single unit.

 

　　Xiao Dong - the Executive Editor of the US based newspaper China Press says these moves make way for further changes.

 

　　"The restructuring is not only intended to downsize or merge government organs, it also means the change of their functions, which will lay a foundation for further political reform. It also helps to balance the social interest relations and improve the supervisory mechanism."

 

　　The institutional restructuring is a continuation of the previous six major government reshuffles over the past 30 years.