BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) -- China has amended a total of 49 regulations to advance government institutions' reform and to simplify administrative procedures, according to a State Council decree signed by Premier Li Keqiang.

The amendments were made in accordance with the plan to reform Party and state institutions adopted by the third plenary session of the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, the institutional reform plan of the State Council passed by the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), and related plans to streamline the governance system, an official statement said Monday.

The regulation on the place of origin of import and export goods, the interim measures for social assistance, the regulation on the national general survey of pollution sources, and the regulation on the implementation of the bidding law are among the amended rules related to institutions reform.

Under the amended regulations on international ocean shipping, certain items that previously required administrative licensing are annulled to simplify procedures, while the technology import-export regulation and the regulation for the implementation of the law on joint ventures using Chinese and foreign investment are amended to further improve the environment for technology transfer.