China has unveiled an ambitious plan to revamp its central government structure, with more than two dozen ministries and organisations affected.
The sweeping changes include the merger of the country's banking and insurance regulators, and the setting up of special agencies to oversee issues related to immigration and military veterans.
As a result, the number of ministries under the State Council, China’s cabinet, will be reduced by eight to 26, while seven non - ministerial agencies will also be cut.
The plan, which is expected to be endorsed by the National People’s Congress later this week, marks one of the biggest changes to the central government in the history of the People’s Republic of China. The last such reshuffle of a similar scale happened in 1998 when then Premier Zhu Rongji closed or merged 15 ministries and commissions under the State Council.
Despite the breadth of the plan, changes rumoured to have been happening to the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office proved to be unfounded, while an anticipated Ministry of Energy also failed to appear.
The power of the influential National Development and Reform Commission - often dubbed the little State Council - will be reduced under the new plan.
Source: South China Morning Post
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