Zhanjiang to cut government red tape

Jiang Jianjun, mayor of Zhanjiang, called for more efforts from the municipal government to streamline administration, delegate power to lower levels, strengthen regulation and optimize services at a work conference on July 13.

This is both a mandate by Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council to transform the functions of government, and a prerequisite for Zhanjiang to establish itself as a sub-center city of Guangdong province.

Over the past five years, Zhanjiang has slashed the need for government approval or review on 642 items. It has deepened the business environment reform with the number of items subject to government approval for new businesses prior to registration cut by 85 percent.

The city also began overseeing all business operations. It introduced an oversight model that consists of random inspections by randomly selected law enforcement officers or inspectors and requires findings to be released in a timely manner.

An "Internet Plus" model was adopted to reach the so called "one number, one window, and one network" target, which means that the public can do more things online and spend less time at service windows, enjoying more convenient and transparent government services.

However, a gap remains between Zhanjiang and cities in the Pearl River Delta. The city will continue to push forward government service reforms by further simplifying administrative procedures and developing a digital government, according to Jiang.