Civil servants should be assessed not only by their achievements, but also by the price the country has had to pay for them, a senior official said yesterday.
"People can now see through some officials' practices of faking their achievements with exaggerated figures, but they cannot identify those who flaunt their achievements that have come at high administrative costs," said Jilin Province Governor Han Changfu at the China-Europe Senior Forum on Government Management.
"A modern government should be responsible, efficient and (aim to achieve) low cost," he continued. "I think a responsible administration is one that takes the least time and money to fulfill its mission."
China's administrative reforms to improve efficiency should focus on several key aspects, including building a reasonable appraisal system on civil servants' performance, optimizing the set-up of government offices and promoting e-governance.
Some other senior officials agreed with Han. Huang Wenping, vice-minister of the State Commission for Public Sector Reform, said some governments' functions are odd in some ways because they "take care of too many things, set up too many approval requirements, and get too involved in micro-economy".
"Their role should shift from taking care of everything to focusing on macro-control, providing services and stimulating the development of various markets," Huang said.
The annual forum is a high-level conference for Chinese and European officials on public administration. The forum's theme this year is public sector reform and improvement of government performance, echoing the call of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to intensify government reform toward a service-oriented administration.
Italian Undersecretary of State for Reform and Innovation in Public Administration Gian Pieio Scanu was impressed by the Chinese government's determination to reform the administration.
"I believe the Chinese administration is seriously committed to improving the government’s performance, to looking for harmony of different components and to taking care of the needs of the people," he said after a meeting with Minister of Personnel Yin Weimin.
Questions:
1. According to Jilin Province Governor Han Changfu, what is a responsible administration?
2. How does he think officials should be held accountable?
3. What does Huang Wenping, vice-minister of the State Commission for Public Sector Reform say government should focus on?
Answers:
1. One that takes the least time and money to fulfill its mission.
2. The high administrative costs should also be put into account as well as their achievements.
3. Focusing on macro-control, providing services and stimulating the development of various markets.
（英语点津 Linda 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Bernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries.
