China's State Council unveiled plans Sunday to rearrange several of the country's ministry-level organs by consolidating their functions in a move to improve government efficiency and cut down waste.
This restructuring, the boldest move of its kind in over a decade, is a sign of the central leadership's determination to cut down on the hulking bureaucratic apparatus that has long been blamed for slowing the wheels of government. Yet, the country still has a long way to go before administrative and supervisory efficiency see any detectable changes.
Actually, little may change at all unless central organs are willing to ease their grip on projects and business operations which should be directed by market forces.
Under the current structure now in place, enterprises continue to suffer from long periods of lag time and delay because they are forced to wait for the government's approval on, for example, their expansion plans and fundraising efforts.
The author is Yu Fenghui, an economic commentator.