China mulls limiting local power

BEIJING - China's top legislature is mulling a pilot reform program in Guangdong province to further limit administrative power by suspending or adjusting a list of the government's examination and approval items.

The list includes 25 examination items set by national laws. Suspension or adjustment of the local govenment's examination and approval of the items must be authorized by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), according to a draft decision submitted to a bimonthly session of the NPC Standing Committee, which opened Monday.

Once adopted, Guangdong, a southern province with a population of 105 million, would be given special authorization to cancel those administrative approval items or assign them to authorities at lower levels, Minister of Supervision Ma Wen said in her briefing to legislators.

The items mainly include government examinations on the settings of special business entities, the qualification of healthcare facilities for vocational illnesses and architect registration.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, submitted the draft to the NPC Standing Committee On Oct 31 and specified that the program would be effective through the end of the country's 12th Five-year Plan period (2011-2015).