Reform praised by residents

Nantong a provincial leader in finding new sources of growth, Dong Jidong, Xu Yahua and He Jiayu report.

Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province has made great progress in seeking new sources for growth through comprehensive reform since the beginning of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15).

Nantong outperformed most other cities in the province in promoting development through reform, said an inspection team from the provincial government in mid-October.

Nantong has undertaken more than 40 national pilot reform projects and over 30 provincial projects, according to a meeting on the city’s comprehensive reform presided over by Ding Dawei, the city's Party chief.

Guidelines for pilot reform in city management and law enforcement related to environmental protection were approved at the meeting, which was held on Nov 16.

The city has made comprehensive and in-depth reform a top priority of its work during the past five years. The city’s Party committee set up a leading group for comprehensive reform in February 2014. An accountability mechanism for reform was also established to push forward the initiative.

Comprehensive administrative reform has helped create a climate that is friendly to businesses in Nantong, Jiangsu province. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

Simplified procedures

Nantong started to streamline administrative approval procedures at the end of 2011. In 2014, the city led the province in establishing a mechanism to streamline such procedures and transform government functions.

Since the city became a national pilot for administrative licensing power in March, it has significantly cut the number of items that require administrative approval.

In August, the Nantong Administrative Examination and Approval Bureau, the first of its kind in a prefecture-level city, went into operation. The bureau is in charge of examining and approving 53 items related to market access and investment that used to be managed by 15 government departments.

The move has significantly shortened approval procedures and improved work efficiency. For example, it now takes 22 days for an enterprise to gain approval for investment in a project, compared to 50 days previously. Much paperwork that was considered redundant has also been cut for applicants.

More than 98 percent of residents and businesses in the city are satisfied with the city’s efforts to streamline administrative procedures, according to a survey this year.

"Nantong has made great achievements in streamlining administrative procedures and delegating power," said Ma Jiantang, executive vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Governance, during a visit to the city in August. “The city is in a leading position in this regard in Jiangsu and even the country at large. Its experience is beneficial to the rest of the country.”

Public benefits

The ultimate goal of development is to bring more benefits to all people, President Xi Jinping said at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO summit in Manila in November.

Nantong has adhered to that principle since it launched the initiative of comprehensive reform. Party chief Ding said the government should meet the expectations of the public and view their satisfaction as a criteria for the effectiveness of its reform.

In 2013, the city was named a demonstration zone for education modernization. The government has stepped up its educational reform to ensure the public's demand for high-quality education is met.

Teachers in urban areas are frequently sent to teach at schools in remote rural areas in a bid to bridge the gap in educational resources.

Nantong has also made great progress in promoting reform of the medical system during the 12th Five-Year Plan. The city has gained substantial experience in such aspects as reform of public hospitals, allocation of high-quality medical resources and development of telemedicine platforms.

Nantong's medical reforms have made it easier for local residents to visit doctors at hospitals, and its experience can be popularized around the country, said Li Bin, minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, when she visited the city in October.

Contact the writers through dongjidong@chinadaily.com.cn