Public must supervise financial transparency

Government financial transparency reform should be motivated and supervised by the people, said an article in the Southern Metropolis Daily (excerpts below).

Financial transparency is a necessary requirement for modern governance.

The School of Public Policy and Management of Tsinghua University issued a report indicating that Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou ranked the top three in terms of government financial transparency.

However, that does not mean the three governments have met the financial transparency requirements.

The public still lacks the channels and rights to respond to local government expenditure and financial conditions.

The National People's Congress and its branches should fulfill their legal responsibilities as representatives of the people in watching government spending.

Local government financial transparency should be propelled by the public, instead of the central government.