TNAG-2804-FCO40-4044-National-People-s-Congress-and-Chinese-People-s-Political-Co-1993 — Page 27

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60710,

MDHI

3378

11. LI SAID THAT CHINA'S ACHIEVEMENTS OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS HAD BEEN HARD-WON. ''A COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY REBELLION'' IN THE LATE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER OF 1989 HAD CAUSED TURMOIL IN PEKING'' AND THE INTERNATIONAL SITUATION HAD UNDERGONE DRASTIC CHANGES. HE ATTRIBUTED CHINA'S SUCCESS TO STICKING TO THE PARTY'S BASIC LINE, MAKING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THE CENTRAL TASK AND ADHERING TO THE FOUR CARDINAL PRINCIPLES (IE KEEPING TO THE SOCIALIST ROAD, UPHOLDING THE PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC DICTATORSHIP, LEADERSHIP BY THE CCP AND MARXISM-LENINISM, MAO ZEDONG THOUGHT). THE LATTER WAS CRUCIAL FOR MAINTAINING SOCIAL AND POLITICAL STABILITY. LI ADVOCATED FURTHER EMANCIPATING MINDS AND BLAZING NEW TRAILS. HE SAID ''WE SHOULD DARE TO THINK AND ACT, BOLDLY EXPERIMENTING WITH NEW REFORMS'' BUT CAUTIONED ''SO LONG AS WE ACT WITH PRUDENCE'' HE WENT ON TO ECHO THE ESSENCE OF DENG XIAOPING'S REMARKS IN SHANGHAI ABOUT EVALUATING EXPERIENCE ON THE WAY SO AS TO AVOID

GREAT LOSSES.

GOVERNMENT RESTRUCTURING

12.

·

AS PREDICTED, A KEY THEME OF THE REPORT WAS THE PROGRAMME OF REFORMING THE ADMINISTRATION AND STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS, WHICH WAS PRESENTED AS A PRESSING TASK IN POLITICAL STRUCTURAL REFORM. A NUMBER OF ECONOMIC DEPARTMENTS ARE TO BE TURNED INTO ADMINISTRATIVE BODIES OR ECONOMIC ENTITIES. ALTHOUGH THE MINISTRIES AND COMMISSIONS OF THE STATE COUNCIL WILL BE SLIGHTLY INCREASED IN NUMBER FROM 40 TO 41, THE ORGANISATIONS AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES DIRECTLY UNDER THE STATE COUNCIL WILL BE REDUCED TO 18. OVERALL, BODIES UNDER THE STATE COUNCIL WILL BE REDUCED FROM 86 TO 59. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES AT ALL LEVELS WILL BE CUT BY ABOUT 25 PER CENT, BUT WILL UNDERGO RETRAINING OR BE TRANSFERRED TO LOCAL LEVEL UNITS TO WORK IN THE FIELDS OF INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE, TAX COLLECTION, PUBLIC SECURITY, PROCURATORATES AND COURTS. LUO GAN, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE STATE COUNCIL, WILL PRESENT A REPORT ON 16 MARCH ON THE DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED RESTRUCTURING. LI PENG STRESSED THAT THIS NEW PROGRAMME OF INSTITUTIONAL RESTRUCTURING WAS ONLY A FIRST STEP AND FURTHER REFORMS COULD BE EXPECTED.

13. THE REPORT ALSO TOUCHED ON EDUCATION, DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIALIST DEMOCRACY AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM, PUBLIC ORDER (IE THE NEED TO CRACKDOWN ON PROSTITUTION, PORNOGRAPHY, DRUG ABUSE AND

TRAFFICKING), FAMILY PLANNING, THE ENVIRONMENT, THE MODERNISATION OF NATIONAL DEFENCE AND ANTI-CORRUPTION MEASURES.

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