China Radio International:
Mr. Xu, we noticed that you mentioned the NDRC has strengthened its efforts to push forward reform of streamlining administration, delegating power and strengthening regulation, and optimizing services. And remarkable results have been achieved. So may I ask what experience and measures during the process to push forward this effort are worth summarizing and remembering? In addition, what new moves or new thoughts in this area will be realized in 2017? Thanks.
Xu Shaoshi:
In recent years, we strengthened efforts towards streamlining administration and delegating powers, combination of the two, and optimizing services under the requirement by the State Council. I think we should note several aspects:
First, the number of matters that require government approval greatly reduced. The State Council asks this administration to cut 1/3 of such issues, and we achieved this goal two years ago.
Second, procedures for the examination and approval of enterprise investments have been streamlined. From 2013 to last year, we revised three times the approval catalog for enterprise investment projects, and cut about 90 percent of matters that require government approval. The other issue is about government pricing. I just said that 97 percent of commodity prices and services are formed by the market itself. In the past two years, the most obvious example for the government to delegate power to lower levels is in medicine pricing. In 2015, we delegated pricing power for more than 700 medicines, while last year we did it again with 2,000 medicines. The medicine market now has a competitive environment, so the pricing was loosened very quickly in this regard.
In another aspect, we have strengthened supervision on "two lists and four platforms." The two lists are the list of approval issues and the list of power and obligations. The two lists have been submitted to superior departments and will be released to the public when they get approval. Actually the NDRC has already implemented things according to the two lists.
Four platforms: The first is the online platform for examining, approving and supervising nationwide investment projects. This online platform is nationally connected, from central to provincial, municipal and county levels, all the examination and approval for government-funded projects and enterprise investment projects as well as other projects are on a platform for the records and can be tracked in real time.
The second is the national credit information sharing platform, which now has a sum of some 700 million pieces of information. Every day, more than 1 million people visit and click on this platform. Why are they so interested in it? Because the site has integrated the credit information of market players and some individuals. We have worked with 10 government departments to form the joint punishment mechanism, while we will also work with three departments to make a joint rewards arrangement. We have punished various subjects for lost credit more than 13 million times.
The third is the nation's public resources trade platform. This platform had a test run last November and was officially launched on Jan. 1. After its launch, project bidding, mineral products sale and government purchase were all put on this platform. Now the platform is connected with central, provincial, municipal and county levels. In June this year, the whole nation will be connected, but as of now there are some cities and counties not linked in yet.
The fourth is 12358 hotline national price monitoring platform, which plays a great role. It receives more than 700,000 inquiries and reports each year. Its major function is to prevent monopolies.