“Transforming government functions”

government functions is at the core of a more in-depth administrative structural reform drive. Essentially it involves determining what the government should and should not do, by clarifying the roles of the government, the market and society, i.e., clearly defining what should be dealt with by each of them individually or jointly.

Generally speaking, since the reform and opening-up policy was introduced in the late 1970s, great progress has been made in transforming the functions of the governments at all levels, and valuable experience gained, providing strong impetus to the country’s modernization process.

However, much remains to be done in this respect. Government intervention in the micro-economy is still considered excessive and too intrusive. It is also imperative to improve macro-economic regulation, and address inadequacies in market regulation, and social and public services. With greater resolve, we must intensify our push for transforming government functions. Only by so doing, can we better meet the pressing challenges to drive the process of reform and opening up to a deeper level, speed up the transformation of the growth model, encourage ethical conduct, and maintain social harmony and stability.