Up to Date

last November， a decision on major issues concerning comprehensively deepening Chinas reform was adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China （CPC） Central Committee. The document states that the general goal of the reform is to improve and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics， and to promote the modernization of the national governance system and its capacity.

As a result， governance modernization became a major topic of discussion during this years full sessions of the National Peoples Congress （NPC）， Chinas top legislature， and the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC）， the national advisory body of the country.

A critical time

“Pushing forward the modernization of the national governance system and capacity is a choice that has been made in response to historical trends，” said Zhou Wenzhang.

Zhou told Beijing Review that China has entered a new historical stage of reform and development， which is a critical point for the transformation of government functions. Confronted with increasing social conflicts and risks， severe challenges in fighting against corruption and a lack of strict and effective constraints on the exercise of power， it is difficult for the country to continue to maintain long-term social stability through the existing administrative control mindset， he added.

“The modernization of the governance system is an important issue with far-reaching historical and practical significance，” commented Zhou Mingwei.

At present， Chinese society and the countrys economic development model have become increasingly diversified. In this situation， the original management system does not work well， so a new philosophy of governance should be developed to meet the needs of today， Zhou Mingwei said.

Zhou added that it is the right time to concentrate on governance modernization. He said that in the more than 30 years of reform and opening up， China has grown faster and solved more complicated problems than other countries. “The experience China has accumulated in the process will be indispensable during the modernization drive，” he noted.

Chi Fulin told Beijing Review that modern governance philosophy and capacity will be the foundation upon which the modernization of the nation as a whole is built.

Chi said that to achieve this modernization， well-planned institutional arrangements should be put in place first for the functions of the government， market and society and sound public order should be established.endprint

Chi stressed that the peoples status as the master of the country should be guaranteed.“The Constitution and the laws should be the supreme authority in public governance so that everyone is equal in front of the law，” he commented. “Social stability and social order should be effectively maintained. Chi added that there should also be coordination between central and local governments and between the roles of the government and society.

According to Chi， three tasks will need to be accomplished to push forward governance modernization. First， the rule of law should be enhanced， judicial and procuratori- al powers should be exercised independently according to law， and administrative interference into the judicial process should be avoided. Second， on the basis of delegating， dividing and restricting power， the government should shift to providing public services and focus on establishing efficient governance structures. Third， the government should invigorate social organizations and help them enhance self-development capacity， spur the growth of non-profit organizations， promote the transformation of quasi-official social organizations， and encourage social organizations to participate in public affairs， so as to prevent and resolve social conflicts.

Market roles

Pushing forward the modernization of the national governance system and its capacity will lead to the deepening of administrative system reform and the transformation of government functions， Zhou Wenzhang said.

Since its inception last March， the current Chinese Central Government has focused on transforming government functions， as well as streamlining administration and delegating power to lower-level governments. It has greatly reduced administrative examination and approval procedures and reformed the business registration system so as to invigorate the market.

Official statistics show that in 2013， the number of newly registered businesses increased by 27.6 percent nationwide and private investment increased to 63 percent of the countrys total investment.

In his government work report to this years NPC session， Premier Li Keqiang stressed the need for making breakthroughs in reform in important areas. He pledged to further streamline administration and delegate more power to lower-level governments. Other reform measures include abolishing or simplifying preliminary review and approval procedures， releasing a list of all items requiring government review and approval， and reforming the business registration system， according to Li.endprint