China’s top lawmakers are telling officials across the country to hold fewer meetings and give shorter speeches in a bid to root out “pointless formalities”, state media reported on Wednesday.
Streamlining meetings and capping documents at 5,000 words were among suggestions in a detailed government notice issued to “free grassroots officials from bureaucratism and pointless formalities”, state news agency Xinhua said.
Cutting out unnecessary paperwork and having fewer meetings would “reduce burdens” on cadres and help them “devote more energy to implementation”, according to a government notice uploaded by state news agency Xinhua.
The 21-point directive on “rectifying formalism” is more than 4,000 words long, according to an AFP count.
All regions were to strictly implement the rules, it said.
The notice — jointly issued by the Communist Party’s Central Committee and the State Council — follows refreshed rules against lavish spending and vanity projects.
In May, the two lawmaking bodies updated regulations set in 2013 targeting excessive spending within government ranks, including a ban on serving alcohol at work meals and restrictions on travel.
Officials were also prohibited from having flowers or backdrops at work meetings, according to the directive.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has waged a relentless campaign against official corruption since coming to power more than a decade ago.
Hundreds of thousands of officials have faced disciplinary action, according to China’s top anti-graft body, with some executed for “serious violations of the law” — a euphemism for corruption.
Supporters say the anti-corruption drive promotes clean governance, but critics say it serves as a tool for Xi to oust political opponents.
