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China's cabinet, the State Council, has ended the practice of
holding irregular decision-making meetings of premier,
vice-premiers and related ministers so as to ensure its
policy-making to be consistent with processes defined in the
law.
Such meetings will be replaced by executive or plenary meetings
of the State Council presided over by the premier.
Under the law, the executive meeting of the State Council is
composed of the premier, vice-premiers, state councilors and
secretary-general, while the plenary meeting includes all members
of the cabinet, including all ministers.
"The cancellation of the irregular meetings attended by the a
few government officials is intended to strengthen the function of
executive meetings of the State Council, which is also a reflection
of the reinforcement of rule of law in the executive body," said
Mao Shoulong, dean of the political management department of the
People's University.
Under the constitution, the premier convenes and presides over
executive and plenary meetings to discuss major issues of state.
The irregular meetings with the premier are set in accordance
withthe necessities of work, which played an important role in the
past.
"The work meeting with the premier was originally set to better
communicate with the premier, and does not function as a
policy-making meeting," said Professor Wang Yukai, of the state
administrative college. "However, it has evolved to become a
policy-making meeting."
Statistics show that the State Council convened 37 meetings from
last March to January, an average of three to four a month, which
is sufficient to discuss major state issues.
"In his long speech at the state administrative college last
year, Premier Wen Jiabao said he would further improve the work
procedure of the state council and make it more scientific,
democratic and juridical, said Wang. "The cancellation of the
irregular work meeting with premier is another step in improving
the work of the State Council."
(Xinhua News? Agency? March 7, 2004)
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