A senior legislative official Friday asserted that the new Law
on Administrative Licensing will be a great help in China's efforts
to build a market economy and check corruption.
Administrative licensing, referring to the issuing of formal
legal permission to conduct business or business-related
activities, is a major government function.
"The law will have far-reaching impact on our country's economic
and social life," said Li Fei, vice director of the Law Committee
under the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
(NPC).
Li said the law, a set of comprehensive rules for the
establishment and implementation of administrative licensing, will
better balance the rights of citizens and the duties of
government.
It is expected to greatly reduce the amount of administrative
licensing, hazardous expansion of which has seriously hampered
China's efforts to build a market economy.
The law, which will take effect on July 1, states that only the
NPC, the State Council and local people's congresses have the right
to determine whether one activity needs an administrative license.
Departments under the State Council will no longer have the right
to do so.
Li said the now clearly defined relationship between the
government and the market will help the government abandon
traditional management methods that bordered on direct interference
in social and economic activities. The new law is aimed at more
rational macro control and offers more social services.
As a result, social intermediary organizations and industry
associations will play a larger role in the country's economic
activities.
He added that simplified procedures to get an administrative
licensing will also bring more convenience to citizens,
corporations and other institutions.
Li said that in addition to helping the government shift its
function, the law is expected to help stop closed-door deals and
trading money for power.
He was echoed by Wang Yongqing, vice-director of the Legislative
Affairs Office under the State Council and one of the drafters of
the law.
Wang said most of the corrupt officials now behind bars were
involved in such acts.
"We gave top priority to how to prevent and check corruption in
the issuing of administrative license when we started to draft the
law, and the majority of its provisions were designed to achieve
this goal," he said.
Overuse of licensing invites corruption because it creates more
opportunities for kickbacks, said Ying Songnian, professor and
director of the Division of Law of the National School of
Administration.
Complicated procedures, poor efficiency and underground, unfair
or imprecise conditions for granting licenses all contribute to the
problem, he added.
The State Council began a nationwide campaign to rectify the
situation in 2001. Moreover, the central government is also
targeting trading of power for personal gains by those officials
who hold the power to grant permissions to a number of business
dealings and opportunities. It is also stressed that fighting
corruption is a long-term task.
(China Daily August 30, 2003)