keywords to understand china

大道至簡

在中國傳統(tǒng)文化中，“大道至簡”是指大道理（基本原理、方法和規(guī)律）是極其簡單的，簡單到一兩句話就能說明白。中國總理李克強(qiáng)在2015年《政府工作報(bào)告》中提出“大道至簡”，在此后的一次會(huì)議中他對(duì)此作出闡釋，“簡”來源于《論語·雍也》“居敬而行簡”，“‘居敬，就是我們作為公務(wù)人員，首先要在內(nèi)心敬畏人民。‘行簡就是不要用太繁多的東西來擾民。”李克強(qiáng)認(rèn)為，這與中國政府簡政放權(quán)的理念是非常吻合的。

Great Truths Are Always Simple

There is a saying in traditional Chinese culture that goes “Great truths are always simple”. It means that fundamental principles， approaches and guiding rules are invariably straightforward and can be explained very concisely in simple words. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang quoted this saying in his Report on the Work of the Government to the National Peoples Congress in March 2015. In a subsequent meeting he further elaborated on it. The concept of simplicity， he said， comes from The Analects （a collection of ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius sayings and ideas） and advocates the virtue of holding the people in high regard and streamlining governance. In other words， we as civil servants must first of all treat the people with respect， and never burden them with too much red tape. This， he said， dovetails with our efforts at streamlining governance and decentralization.

簡政放權(quán)

“簡政”，即解決機(jī)構(gòu)職能交叉、政出多門、人浮于事、相互掣肘的現(xiàn)象，解決社會(huì)公共產(chǎn)品和服務(wù)提供不足、行政效率低下的問題。“放權(quán)”，則是解決對(duì)經(jīng)濟(jì)活動(dòng)審批過多、審批程序復(fù)雜、審批周期長效率低的問題，解決政府管了一些不該管的事情、一些該管的事情卻沒管好的問題。中國本屆政府把加快轉(zhuǎn)變職能、簡政放權(quán)作為開門第一件大事。到2013年底，分批取消和下放了416項(xiàng)行政審批等事項(xiàng)，2014年取消和下放審批事項(xiàng)200項(xiàng)以上。轉(zhuǎn)變政府職能的核心要義，是要切實(shí)做好“放管”結(jié)合。“‘放是放活，而不是放任；‘管要管好，而不是管死。”

簡政放權(quán)是為了理順政府與市場的關(guān)系，更好地發(fā)揮市場在資源配置中的作用，歸根結(jié)底是促改革調(diào)結(jié)構(gòu)惠民生。由事前審批變?yōu)槭轮惺潞蟊O(jiān)管，不是給政府工作“減壓”，而是相關(guān)工作要做得更細(xì)致，監(jiān)管要更到位。這種工作方式的轉(zhuǎn)變，對(duì)政府職能部門提出了更高的要求：不僅觀念要變，更要增長能力，要主動(dòng)研究市場規(guī)律，具備前瞻眼光，對(duì)市場發(fā)展有利的要積極鼓勵(lì)，對(duì)市場發(fā)展不利的要及時(shí)調(diào)整。

Streamlining Government and Delegating Authorities

Streamlining government aims at eliminating overstaffing and consolidating duplicate or overlapping and often mutually interfering government functions， so as to better address problems such as the inadequate provision of social public goods and services and a lack of efficiency in government work. Delegating authority is intended to cut red tape that subjects an unnecessarily extensive array of business activities to a complex and lengthy government approval process. Such a move should free the government from unwarranted reach into areas it should not focus on， therefore allowing it to prioritize what really falls within its purview， especially duties it is supposed to perform but has not performed adequately.

The current Chinese administration has made it a top priority to accelerate the process of transforming government functions， streamlining government and delegating authority. By the end of 2013， a total of 416 items originally requiring State Council review and approval had been reclassified as exempt from such review or sent to lower levels of the government for approval. More than 200 items were addressed in a similar manner in 2014. The key to transforming government functions is to strike the correct balance between delegation and the exercise of control. To delegate authority is meant to inject more vitality into economic activities rather than embracing an unqualified laissez-faire approach. To exercise control is to ensure that the market functions appropriately， rather than stifling the economy with regulatory overreach.

The initiative to streamline government and delegate authority helps rationalize the relationship between the government and the market， giving the market a bigger role to play in allocating resources. This ultimately propels reform， helps restructuring and improves peoples wellbeing. The shifting of focus from pre-implementation approval to monitoring during and after project implementation calls for a more detail-oriented and better targeted supervisory function for the government， instead of reducing its workload. Such a change represents a challenge for government departments. There is now a need for a paradigm shift and enhanced capacity building. It is vital to develop a forward-looking vision and be proactive in gauging market dynamics with a view on amplifying the positive effect of market drivers and minimizing the negative influence of any market failure in a timely manner.