New State Council working code stresses transparency

The State Council Thursday for the first time released a work-related code of conduct, highlighting expectations of a transparent and democratic central government.

The 58-term code only regulates the work of the State Council, its subordinate agencies and ministries. Party and judicial organs, military personnel and the National People's Congress do not fall under its jurisdiction.

Ren Jianming, a professor of anti-graft studies from Tsinghua University, told the Global Times that the code for the first time specifically focuses on the administrative system overseen by the State Council, which represents the most powerful group of China's 6.89 million government employees.

"Many of those rules, despite having been repeated many times in different edicts, have shown a stronger effect as they came out under a newly-appointed leadership," Jiang Ming'an, a law professor at Peking University, told the Global Times Thursday.

Ren said the code of conduct has highlighted the problems that have concerned the public most, such as a bureaucratic and lavish working style, extravagant public spending on trips and redundant meetings, as well as the neglecting of petitions.

Employees with the State Council and its subordinate agencies should not take gifts or attend receptions thrown by lower-level governments, according to the code.

The public should be given more opportunities in discussions over law drafts, and officials should personally monitor how petitioners' requests are answered.

However, Ren pointed out that the regulation fails to provide concrete punitive measures or a third party to monitor its implementation, despite touching on some key issues.

"The vaguely worded code still contains expressions such as 'improve and perfect' as well as 'enhance' without explaining how," said Ren.

Jiang agreed by saying that together with the regulations, a reporting channel should be set up and made public to facilitate the supervision.