Li urges adminstrators to build clean government

BEIJING, Dec. 17-- Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday urged civil servants at all levels to take the lead with the "eight-point" guidelines to ban extravagance and formalism.

Li made the remarks at an award ceremony for individuals and collectives of civil servants, noting that they should not only be participants in reform, but promoters.

"Civil servants should shoulder the burden of reform including streamlining government and delegating power to lower levels," said Li.

Li reiterated the importance of "serve the people" and urged solution of the people's problems and realization of people's expectations. Civil servants at all levels should increase their legal awareness, abide by the law and perform in accordance with professional ethics, to build a law-based government.

A total of 99 individuals and 80 collectives were honored at the ceremony, and an overwhelming majority are from grassroots positions and work in remote areas under harsh conditions but have achieved unusual success in ordinary positions.

Li called on Party committees and government at all levels to care more about grassroots civil servants, and to fully implement the spirit of the recent reform agendas.