Parliament endorses cabinet reshuffle, unleashing reform vitality(2)

Since Xi Jinping replaced Hu Jintao as the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in November, he has advocated reform on various occasions and used a number of new political phrases to consolidate reform consensus.

He came up with a particularly notable line while visiting Guangdong Province on the first leg of his inspection tour shortly after becoming the Party chief. "While advancing reforms, we must have the courage to gnaw at a hard bone and wade through a dangerous shoal," he urged.

REFORM PRELUDE

State Councilor Ma Kai said the restructuring is aimed at transforming government functions, improving administrative efficiency, granting more power to the market and society and unleashing social dynamics, public creativity and enthusiasm for the building of a moderately prosperous society.

"Departments of the State Council are now focusing too much on micro issues. We should attend to our duties and must not meddle in what is not our business," Ma said on Sunday.

Chi Fulin, director of the China (Hainan) Institute for Reform and Development, said Chinese people are looking to the Party to seize the opportunity presented by the government transition to push forward comprehensive reforms.

Work reports from the State Council, which were submitted to nearly 3,000 NPC deputies for deliberation, outlined a slew of reform events this year.

According to another report submitted by the National Development and Reform Commission, the economic planner, an overall reform plan, road map and timetable will be mapped out this year, complete with a 2013 guideline on deepening reform in the economic system.

Reforms in the economic sphere are aimed at improving the operating budget management for state-owned capital, optimizing the business environment for the private economy, perfecting the pricing mechanisms for refined oil products, natural gas, thermal coal and railway cargo, as well as expanding trial programs for value-added, property and resources taxes.

To improve people's quality of life, reforms in medical care and medical aid, social security, household registration, education, culture, labor re-education system and the judiciary system have also been put high on the government's agenda.

"The complexity of the new round of reforms lies in adjusting power and containing vested interests," said Wang Changjiang, dean of the Party Building Department of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

"Without fearless courage to break down all barriers within the existing administrative mechanism, reformers will find it difficult to win the trust of the people," said Wang.