A State Council reshuffle and new cabinet members were all approved
by the 7th plenary meeting of the First Session of the 10th
National People's Congress (NPC). So what is the effect of these
changes? What are the tasks of the refashioned and new
institutions? The Xinhua News Agency provides the following
profiles of five leading institutions.
The State Development and Reform Commission (Ma Kai)
(formerly the State Development Planning Commission; renamed and
enlarged)
Exploring and utilizing new thinking and measures to resolve
difficulties during progress; promoting structural reform to
eliminate institutional obstacles and corresponding reforms in each
sector; taking advantage of the market to distribute resources more
efficiently, and taking economic development and social tolerance
into account during its work.
In
order to maintain policy stability and continuity, stimulate
domestic demand and strengthen economic macro-control, the
commission will research potentialities and put forward resolutions
which can ensure nation fulfillment for both short and long-term
tasks. The short-term task is to balance the supply and demand of
coal, electricity and transportation; the long-range tasks
including resource strategy; economic adjustment of old industrial
bases; development of resource cities; three agricultural issues
(agriculture, rural development and living standards), petrol
reserves strategy, employment and income gaps.
During the deepening of reform in administrative approval systems,
and in investment and financing systems, the commission will
cultivate a qualified cadre team.
Ministry of Commerce (Lu Fuyuan)
(a
new governing institution)
The ministry will map out policies and strategies for both domestic
and foreign trade as well international economic cooperation; make
laws and regulations to regulate the market and circulation
systems; guide work of utilizing foreign investments; organize
international economic cooperation and foreign aids; investigate
industrial losses, anti-dumping, anti-subsidy, protection measures
and other work related to international trade environments and the
World Trade Organization (WTO).
The ministry will also try to cultivate the domestic market,
especially rural markets, and exploit international markets; bring
out effective measures to regulate market order and break
monopolies, regional blockage and improper competition; deepen the
policy of opening-up to prompt imports and exports; make good use
of foreign investment and encourage domestic companies to invest in
foreign countries, and organize international and regional economic
cooperation.
The China Banking Regulatory Commission (Liu Mingkang)
(a
new governing institution)
The commission will take charge of banking supervision regulations;
inspecting banking and financing institutions (safeguarding their
legal and sound operation); checking banking and financing
institutions' establishment, transfer, liquidation and business
range; examining qualifications of senior executives in banking and
financing institution sector, as well as working out and
publicizing data and report forms of the banks.
The China Food and Drug Administration (Zheng Xiaoyu)
(formerly the State Drug Administration; renamed and enlarged)
Medicine, food and cosmetics influence health, social stability and
development. The administration will cooperate with agriculture,
business, sanitation and quality checking institutions to bring
about a safer environment for the public. The bureau will lead
direct comprehensive supervision on food safety and the
investigation of important cases.
The China Work Safety Administration (Wang Xianzheng)
(name remains; upgraded)
Under the direction of the State Council, the bureau will endeavor
to build and improve supervision systems for work safety with the
cooperation of government, relevant departments, enterprise and
society in general.
(China.org.cn translated by Feng Yikun, March 31, 2003)