The reshuffle of officials in the central government and a ministry-level institutional reform have become heated topics in China's political arena, ahead of the second plenary session of the 18th Communist Party of China's (CPC) Central Committee, expected to be held within 10 days.

Observers said a proposed list of top government officials as well as the make-up of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultant Conference (CPPCC) will top the agenda, in preparation for the annual National People's Congress (NPC) and CPPCC that will take place in March.

"As the country's ruling party, the CPC has the right to nominate the top leaders of the central government as well as the political advisory body, but the final list will be voted on by the NPC," Zhu Lijia, a professor of public administration at the Chinese Academy of Governance told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Besides the nomination of central leaders, it is widely speculated that a ministry-level institutional reform will be discussed during the session, after former Party chief Hu Jintao vowed to "steadily advance the reform to establish larger government departments and improve the division of functions among them" during the 18th Party Congress held in November 2012.

The departments believed to be under review include the Ministry of Railway (MOR), which may be integrated into the Ministry of Transport, and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

Experts said such an institutional reform is needed due to the demands of a market economy and will help prevent abuses of power by officials, although this will be no easy task.

"For example the NDRC was established during the period of planned economy when the government controlled everything, while now we need the market to play a larger role. The NDRC should focus more on the macro economic side of government actions. This will no doubt mean that the NDRC will have to give up some of its power, which would surely concern certain interest groups who may see their clout and power diminish," He Jun, a senior analyst from private think tank Beijing Anbound Intelligence Company, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Echoing this point, Zhu said the improvement of government department functions should be the essence of the reform, instead of restructuring.

"It is impossible that all the problems within the MOR will vanish if the ministry is merged with another," said Zhu, adding that the ultimate goal is to improve the working efficiency of government departments and clarify their responsibilities so as to avoid overlap.

He also noted in the interview that the reform on government departments should be carried out prudently as it is closely related to the management of state-owned enterprises, which are long been accused of breeding corruption.