China has started a new round in selecting young government officials. On March 30, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping pointed out that the virtues of future officials should be prioritized during the selection, although the candidates should also possess certain talents.

In a recent survey conducted by the China Youth Daily, 66.5 percent of the respondents believed the selection would be a benefit to the development of young people. More than two-thirds of those surveyed, 70.4 percent, felt "confident" about the officials who would be chosen, and 22.1 percent said they were "extremely confident" about the future young officials.

The survey covered 15,525 people from 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government.

Which virtues and talents should officials possess?

As to which virtues the outstanding young officials should possess, 77.4 percent of those surveyed chose "people-first, just and open" as the most important one; 73.1 percent thought they should be decent and positive; 69 percent hoped they should dedicate themselves to public works and have a strong sense of responsibility; 57.6 percent favored young officials who were "loyal and honest"; and 54.5 percent agreed with the old saying that "if one hopes to attain order in the state, one must first bring his/her own family and personal life into order through self-cultivation."

Special talents that officials are expected to possess include: in-depth knowledge of national conditions and respect for public opinion (77.1 percent); broad vision and interest in world affairs (61.8 percent); innovative and imaginative powers (53.9 percent); and a good education background (37.8 percent). In the survey, 58.7 percent also believed future officials should know foreign languages.

In response to the survey, Mao Shoulong, professor and dean of the School of Public Administration at Renmin University, suggested the government adopt the western practice of "one ballot down" in the assessment of candidates. "In foreign countries, civil servants are not allowed to make a single mistake. Even making private calls from office telephone is forbidden," Mao said.

Young officials with work experience at the grass roots level are more welcomed.

In the survey, 66.2 percent of respondents favored officials with work experience at the grass roots level because they thought such officials might have a better understanding of common people's needs.

According to Xiao Mingzheng, professor of the School of Government at Peking University, work experience in villages and counties is a key factor in selecting officials. For one thing, the emphasis of grass roots work experience will encourage more young people to work their way up from the bottom. Secondly, as all policies are implemented at the basic social level, officials must maintain close contact with the people so as to formulate policies suitable for real social conditions.

Professor Xiao's opinion, however, was disagreed with by Hu Xiaobiao, a candidate of Jinlong County Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. "When people choose to work in government, they want to prove themselves and do something for society. For those who are especially pioneering and intelligent, why not give them a chance?"

According to the survey, 48.4 percent of people agreed that some criteria should be loosened to allow more youths to participate in the selection. However, 40.1 percent thought more scientific measures should be introduced into the selection process to ensure the candidates are competent.

On this issue, Professor Mao mentioned that some flexibility should be allowed. Age limit is necessary for some of the most important leadership positions, but the other government posts should abandon the age requirement and purely follow the system of serving in set terms. "All people, no matter how old they are, should be entitled to take up government posts as long as they are proved competent. When their tenure of office expires, they should leave office according to relevant regulations."

(China.org.cn by Chen Xia, April 15, 2009)