Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, March 27, 2003
Cabinet Meeting Discusses New Government Bodies
The State Council, China's Cabinet, held an executive meeting Wednesday, to discuss issues relating to the three new government bodies, poverty relief and industrial safety.
The State Council, China's Cabinet, held an executive meeting Wednesday, to discuss issues relating to the three new government bodies, poverty relief and industrial safety.
The meeting, presided over by newly-elected Premier Wen Jiabao,passed, in principle, the regulations on personnel and structures for the newly-established State Development and Reform Commission (SDRC), the Ministry of Commerce and the State Assets Management Commission (SAMC).
The product of the reorganization of the former State Development Planning Commission, the SDRC is expected to improve macroeconomics planning and the control of systems.
The Ministry of Commerce, replacing the decade-old Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, will take charge of the country's domestic and foreign trade as well as international economic cooperation.
The newly-established SAMC will supervise and manage state assets so as to improve the performance of state-owned enterprises.
The meeting concluded that the regulations are in line with the institutional reform plan approved by the recently-concluded 10th National People's Congress aimed at building effective and efficient government organs.
In addition, the meeting discussed how to tackle poverty in both urban and rural areas. Effective measures should be taken, including increased funding for social welfare, said the meeting.
The participants also discussed the large number of recent large-scale traffic and coal mine accidents and decided to ask local governments to conduct a reorganization of industrial safety.Specific requirements will be issued in an urgent notice issued by the general office of the State Council.