China expects more reform-focused institutions

BEIJING - China is likely to see a number of new reform-focused institutions set up in the next few months, after the top-level one, headed by President Xi Jinping, convened its first meeting on Wednesday.

At the meeting of the leading group for overall reform of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Xi asked provincial authorities to set up similar task forces for the same purpose "as quickly as possible," citing an old saying that the whole year's work depends on a good start in spring.

Prof. Zhou Weimin, with the Party School of CPC Central Committee, told Xinhua on Thursday that, without proper institutional designs, it will be impossible to mobilize the country to implement the reform plans put forward in November.

"The key to really implementing reform plans is to clarify who is going to take charge of this task and be held responsible if it is not well carried out," Zhou said.

At the central level, it is clear that Xi, also general secretary of CPC Central Committee, will take the lead.

"A reasonable guess is that provincial party chiefs will head provincial reform task forces," Zhou said.

He predicted that a majority of provincial reform groups will be set up in the next few months, possibly in spring as Xi noted.

A task force headed by the top Party official will be effective in coordinating efforts among different sectors, breaking the undue grip of vested interests and ensuring the CPC's firm leadership of the reform, Zhou said.

A series of reforms have already been put in place after the third plenary session of the CPC Central Committee in November, including the axing of China's reeducation through labor system, an easing of its one-child policy, and reform of the industrial and commercial registration system.

However, more are needed as the grand reform plan listed more than 300 measures under 60 topics.

At Wednesday's meeting, Xi warned of problems in implementing the plan and called for adequate understanding of the difficulty, complexity and urgency of reforms, as deeper and deeper interest group will be affected as reforms go further.

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