China's new rules target red tape to unburden grassroots officials

BEIJING -- China has issued its first intra-Party regulations aimed at reducing burdens at the grassroots level by addressing unnecessary formalities.

A document, released by the General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council, includes 21 relevant rules across seven chapters.

These rules focus on a wide range of issues, including reducing the number of meetings and documents, as well as clarifying the rights and responsibilities of primary-level governments.

A senior official from the CPC Central Committee's General Office highlighted that this marks a significant step in strengthening the systems for exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance. The new regulations establish enduring rules akin to the CPC's landmark eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct, adopted in late 2012.

According to the official, the document features concise and straightforward provisions, with prohibitive and restrictive measures designed to address prominent issues that burden grassroots officials.

These new rules also consolidate effective practices from recent efforts to cut red tape and reduce burdens, elevating them into institutional norms. Furthermore, the rules are carefully aligned with existing Party regulations to ensure consistency.

The CPC leadership has prioritized addressing pointless formalities and freeing primary-level officials from unnecessary workloads. The third plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee held last month called for further efforts to refine the long-term mechanisms for reducing grassroots burdens.

The regulations were formulated to expand the progress made in easing burdens on grassroots officials, contributing to the broader goals of deepening comprehensive reforms and advancing Chinese modernization with improved Party and government conduct, according to the official.