China unveils cabinet reshuffle plan

Beijing: China on Tuesday unveiled a massive cabinet reshuffle plan to make the government better-structured, more efficient and service-oriented.

The institutional reform plan of the State Council was submitted to the on-going first session of the 13th National People's Congress for deliberation, reports Xinhua news agency.

State Councilor Wang Yong gave a brief description to the lawmakers on the plan.

There will be 26 ministries and commissions of the State Council after the reshuffle. New entities included the ministry of natural resources, ministry of veterans affairs and ministry of emergency management.

New administrations have also been incorporated, which includes an international development cooperation agency, a state immigration administration, and a banking and insurance regulatory commission.

The number of ministerial-level entities is reduced by eight and that of vice-ministerial-level entities by seven as compared with the present structure of cabinet administrations.

Wang confirmed that the reform, which focuses on organisational restructuring, will reinforce the functioning of the government on economic management, market supervision, social management, public service and ecological and environmental protection.

"It focuses on the needs of development and meets the people's expectations," Wang said, adding that the restructuring forms part of a broader plan by the Communist Party of China to deepen the reform of the Party and state institutions.

He said that the cabinet reshuffle, which deals with institutional impediments, would ultimately enable the market play a significant role in resource allocation and help China build a modern economic structure with high quality growth.