Officials told to improve expertise amid test of outbreak

The novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak is set to spur China to further modernize its governance capacities and improve the professional expertise of its officials, as experts underlined the need for cities to boost their public services.

Addressing a meeting on Feb 23 on coordinating epidemic prevention and control and socioeconomic development in Beijing, President Xi Jinping pointed out that the outbreak has exposed some officials' weaknesses in their governance capacities and professional expertise, a problem that should be given a great deal of attention.

"We need to improve our capacities across the board and the ability to steer, learn about the professional knowledge in the area that we are in charge of, and make ourselves officials with enough know-how about our jobs," Xi said.

He said at the videoconference that the country must draw on experience and lessons from the outbreak and improve its capacities in dealing with major public health emergencies.

Xi also required officials to remain prudent and incisive, by making efforts to guard against major risks in their own areas and keeping close tabs on major risks throughout society, before offering their advice.

The outbreak triggered a shake-up of top officials in Hubei province and Wuhan, the provincial capital and epicenter of the outbreak.

Jiang Chaoliang, Party secretary of Hubei since 2016, was replaced by Ying Yong, mayor of Shanghai. Ma Guoqiang, Party secretary of Wuhan, was replaced by Wang Zhonglin, Party secretary of Jinan, Shandong province.

In another indication of the top leadership's resolve to inject more expertise into the government leadership in Hubei in coping with the outbreak, Wang Hesheng, deputy head of the National Health Commission, was named director of the Hubei provincial health commission and a member of the province's top leadership, the Standing Committee of the provincial Party Committee.

Yan Jirong, a professor of China's political development at Peking University, said the coronavirus outbreak has posed a special test for government officials, and some of them have failed it.

"To cope with this very particular emergency would require special capacities and expertise," he said.

He explained that an official's comprehensive capacity involves the ability to lead, to make decisions and their organizational ability.

Faced with emergencies, officials must ensure they can receive accurate information in a timely fashion before making the right decision. They also need the capacity to mobilize strength from all sectors to ensure the implementation of decisions made by higher levels, he said.

As Xi has on many occasions stressed the importance of the professional quality of officials, Yan said priority must be given to professional expertise in the appointment of government officials, he said.

He gave the example of health, food and drug administration as areas where professional experience must be the most important standard in the selection of officials.

"They need to have enough know-how in the areas they govern," he said.

Yan added that the incident in which the top health official in Huanggang, Hubei, was dismissed after failing to answer basic questions about the outbreak in the city typifies the necessity to improve the expertise of officials.

Meanwhile, the outbreak has also highlighted the importance for officials at different levels to balance promoting economic growth and providing public services.

"Some officials excelled in attracting investment and expanding the GDP, and came up short when it comes to public governance and offering services to the public," he said.

Dealing with an outbreak requires officials to take into consideration a host of complex issues involving the public livelihood, which means a people-centered approach must be truly implemented, he said.

Pointing the way

Also in his speech at the key meeting, Xi criticized the unsatisfactory and even poor performance of a few officials during the outbreak.

Some worked in a sluggish way and without any clue about the situation and their own job, while some took an excessively formalistic or bureaucratic approach, he said, adding that some officials even shirked their responsibilities and even failed to do their duty.

"These acts are highly irresponsible toward the Party and the people. They are simply unacceptable and must be rectified," the president said.

Zhu Lijia, a professor of public management at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, told China News Service that Xi has made it clear in his remarks what kind of officials are not welcome or needed and what kind of behavior must be rectified.

"He has come up with a negative list for the selection of officials," he said.

It is important to correct the wrong tendencies, remove negative factors from the epidemic control and prevention process and make the officials more capable of taking action, he said.

Zhu said that the selection of officials during the special period of the outbreak must be coupled with routine assessments so that the authorities can have a wider horizon in identifying and using talents.

In doing so, more high-caliber people can become officials, he added.

Xu Yaotong, a professor of political science studies at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said the complacency of some officials in Hubei and Wuhan is part of the reason for the quick spread of the epidemic.

The negligence of some officials is also evident in their failure to come up with a swift and decisive response to the outbreak in accordance with the law, he said.

The outbreak showed that the government has to prioritize the selection of officials with a pragmatic style of work and those who faithfully do their duty, he said.