China unveils cut, eased administrative approvals

BEIJING - The State Council, or China's cabinet, on Thursday published a list of items that no longer require central government approval, or now only require consent from lower-level authorities.

The removal of obligation to secure central authorities' approval in these areas is part of efforts to cut government interventions in economic and social affairs.

A total of 71 items which were previously subject to central government administrative approval, now no longer require such approval, said a statement from the State Council published on the central government's website.

They affect various aspects of Chinese economy and society, from industry to agriculture, education to entertainment.

According to the document, companies that want to invest in civilian airport expansion, subway train production, and oil field development with an annual output of 1 million tons or more will not need government approval any more.

Foreigners will not need a police permit to travel in China in their own vehicles.

In addition, the approval of 20 items has been delegated to governments at lower levels, the statement said.

For instance, foreign companies can register their permanent representative offices in China with provincial governments, instead of the central government. They can also apply to provincial governments to do business in China.

According to the statement, the central government also canceled three government fees and 10 programs of government awards and evaluation.

It added that the State Council also plans to cut or degrade 16 administrative approval items, but doing so will require legal revisions.

The State Council will follow legal procedure to appeal to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for amending the related laws, the statement said.