China to limit powers of ministers, officials

In a major administrative reform, China has announced binding rules setting limits for the first time on officials' powers in various ministries often criticised for their opaque functioning.
The central cabinet would announce list of powers of all the ministries, state-run China Daily reported today, describing it as an "unprecedented move" by the Communist Party led government.
The decision was announced along with several other reform initiatives for next year at a meeting yesterday chaired by President Xi Jinping and attended by Premier Li Keqiang and other leaders.
The State Council or the Central Cabinet consists of 25 ministries and ministry-level commissions and about 50 direct subsidiary and affiliated bodies.

Song Shiming, a professor of public administration at the Chinese Academy of Governance, said the announcement means that the State Council wants to set an example by introducing a change it has been campaigning for over the past two years.
Following the State Council's example, all local governments down to county level are expected to publish their own power lists, Song said.

Of the powers granted to ministries, those of the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner and regulator, appear to be the most complex.
The clear listing of the commission's powers will be a significant boost for market-oriented reforms, Song said.

Commenting on the legal aspects of the forthcoming reform, Ying Songnian, a law professor at China University of Political Science and Law, said existing laws on organisation of the government contain principles relating to official powers. But, these are so broad that definitions and separations of power remain unsystematic and even fragmentary in practice.
Government offices sometimes go beyond the limit of their responsibilities, Ying said.
Yang Xiaojun, a professor of administrative law at the Chinese Academy of Governance, said the reform will benefit China by allowing officials to be clear about their duties and will also allow citizens to practice more effective supervision of the government.