CPC issues decision on deepening reform of Party and state institutions

-- Improving the system for upholding overall Party leadership

The Party exercises overall leadership over all areas of endeavor in every part of the country. A primary task of deepening reform of the Party and state institutions is to strengthen the CPC's leadership in every sector, according to the document.

Efforts should be made to establish and improve the institutions and mechanisms by which the Party exercises leadership over major tasks, according to the decision.

The Party's leadership should be strengthened over areas including deeper reform, the rule of law, economy, agriculture and rural work, disciplinary inspection and supervision, organization, publicity, theory and culture, national security, political and legal affairs, united front, ethnic and religious affairs, education, science and technology, cyberspace affairs, foreign affairs and auditing.

The reform should also enhance the status of leadership of Party organizations among organizations of the same level, give better play to the role of the Party's functionary departments, set up Party and government institutions with integrated plans, and advance reform of the Party's disciplinary inspection and the country's supervisory systems.

-- Optimizing the structure and functions of government institutions

The decision stressed the resolve to remove institutional barriers so that the market plays the decisive role in resource allocation and the government plays its role better.

The functions of macro-management institutions should be allocated in a reasonable way. Government functions of anti-monopoly and anti-fair competition should be strengthened and optimized. Better functions on financing management are also needed to forestall systemic financial risks and protect financial security, according to the document.

It called on efforts to further streamline administration and delegate powers. The direct allocation of market resources by the government and the direct interference in market operations should be reduced to the utmost.

It also stressed better systems of market supervision and law enforcement.

The reform of natural resources and environmental management systems includes implementing the strictest possible systems for environmental protection and establishing regulatory agencies to manage state-owned natural resource assets and monitor natural ecosystems.

The document also outlined measures to improve public services management, strengthen operational and post-operational oversight as well as enhance administrative efficiency and government effectiveness.

-- Promoting coordinated reforms of institutions in the Party, the government, the military, and people's organizations

Such reforms are necessities for strengthening the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC as well as achieving the coordinated and effective functions of these institutions.

The reforms include better arrangement of Party and government organs to avoid decentralizing or overlapping responsibilities, reforming the people's congresses, political advisory bodies, and judicial organs, strengthening the role of people's organizations as bridges linking the Party and the government with the people, leveraging the role of social organizations, making public institutions better serve public interests and deepening reform in areas covering both the military and civilian services.

-- Improving the setup of institutions at local levels

It called for a smooth and vigorous work system of central and local institutions, in which orders are executed without fail.

While the central authorities should strengthen macro-management, local authorities were asked to do their jobs well on the condition of carrying out orders from the top to the detail.

The setup of local institutions must ensure the effective implementation of the policies from the CPC Central Committee and national laws and regulations, said the document.

In the meantime, it pledged to give more decision making power to organs at and below the provincial level.

A lean and effective grassroots governance system should be set up to strengthen the foundation of the system and capacity for governance of the state.

Grassroots authorities should not simply copy the structure of their superior level but adapt to their respective responsibilities, said the decision.

Coordination between centrally administered agencies and local authorities should also be improved, said the document.