III. Strengthening the Government's Self-Improvement Efforts

We need to thoroughly study and implement the Scientific Outlook on Development. We will take "accelerate reform, improve services and enhance efficiency" as our objectives, and focus on deepening reform of the administrative system. We will strive to make new breakthroughs in the transformation of government functions, register fresh progress in scientific and democratic decision making and in government administration in accordance with the law, become better able to provide services and further improve administrative efficiency.

First, we need to comprehensively promote government administration in accordance with the law. We will resolutely implement the resolutions of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress and its Standing Committee, uphold the system of reporting to the Standing Committee on major issues and be willingly subject to the oversight by the People's Congress. We need to carefully listen to comments from the democratic parties, the Beijing Municipal Federation of Industry and Commerce, persons without party affiliation, and people's organizations, and be willingly subject to democratic oversight by the Municipal Committee of the CPPCC. We need to adhere to the system for maintaining contacts with deputies to people's congresses and members of CPPCC committees and attach importance to and conscientiously process the bills and proposals of the people's congresses and the proposals and suggestions of CPPCC committees. We need to widely solicit comments and suggestions from the masses and be subject to the oversight by the general public and news media. We need to thoroughly implement the State Council Program for Advancing All Aspects of Government Administration in Accordance with the Law, carefully draft local laws and regulations to be submitted to the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress for deliberation and approval, and revise and formulate a number of government regulations on social administration, the city's operation and sustainable development. We must exercise powers and functions within the scope of our authority as mandated by law and in accordance with legal procedures, and constantly raise the level of government administration in accordance with the law.

Second, we need to deepen reform of government agencies. Focusing on transforming government functions, we need to effectively organize the implementation of the plan for reforming municipal government agencies and lose no time in completing the tasks of defining the responsibilities of government agencies and determining their forms and staffing levels. We need to streamline and standardize municipal government departments for discussing and coordinating affairs and ad hoc agencies. We need to formulate guidelines on reforming the government agencies of districts and counties and guide the completion of their reform. We need to institute guidelines on reforming institutions according to their types and carry out pilot projects in selected districts, counties and institutions. We need to conscientiously reform town and township government agencies on a trial basis in selected areas, and actively promote the reform of town and township institutions.

Third, we need to improve administrative efficiency. We need to deepen reform of the administrative examination and approval system, further cut the number of items subject to administrative examination and approval, streamline the administrative examination and approval procedures, delegate administrative examination and approval powers to lower levels, and effectively improve administrative efficiency. We need to improve our full-service agency system, work procedures and one-stop services. We need to standardize government purchase and improve services. We need to improve the mechanism of coordination and cooperation between government agencies and set how well agencies coordinate and cooperate with others as a criterion for evaluating their performance. We need to strengthen oversight and inspection and put a resolute stop to passing the buck and doing things in a muddled manner. We need to make government affairs more transparent, implement the Regulations on Making Government Information Public, and promote transparency in the exercise of powers. E-government needs to be accelerated. We will promulgate guidelines on making government agencies more efficient. We need to improve the performance management system of administrative organs, increase efficiency supervision, and strengthen the administrative accountability system.

Fourth, we need to intensify efforts to improve our work style and ensure clean government. We need to work hard to promote the Olympic spirit, make all our public servants more aware of risks and more courageous to make progress, and encourage the tendencies to conduct investigations and studies, work diligently and serve the masses at the primary level. We need to persist in doing everything diligently and frugally. We need to continue to cut current account expenditures by government agencies. We need to strictly control expenses incurred in attending meetings, traveling at home and abroad, and entertaining guests. We need to implement the guiding principles of the Third Plenary Session of the Seventeenth Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and strengthen education and oversight of public servants, especially leading cadres. We need to faithfully implement the responsibility system for improving Party conduct and ensuring clean government, strive to expand the scope of efforts to prevent and control corruption at the source, intensify our efforts to avoid and manage clean government risk prevention, and effectively promote the establishment of the system for preventing and punishing corruption. We need to strengthen supervision and auditing of key areas and positions, resolutely correct all unhealthy tendencies that impair the interests of the masses, investigate and deal with violations of law and discipline without fail, and make sure that we are "honest, diligent, pragmatic, and efficient."

Fellow Deputies,

It is a glorious but difficult mission to bring about steady and rapid economic and social development in Beijing and build it into a culturally-enriched, technology-empowered and environmentally-friendly city this year. Let us rally more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Hu Jintao as General Secretary, hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, follow the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of Three Represents, thoroughly implement the Scientific Outlook on Development, emancipate our minds, effectively work in defiance of difficulty, and achieve outstanding accomplishments that render Beijing an excellent community that is flourishing, culturally advanced, harmonious and livable to greet the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China.