Builders and surveyors will benefit from recent measures designed to simplify applications for certificates, stimulate market vitality and boost investment, a news conference in Beijing was told on Nov 24.

Wang Guanghua, vice-minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources, said the number of certificates related to surveying and mapping activities has been reduced by more than 80 percent from 138 to 20.

Meanwhile, the time for processing applications for certificates has been reduced from 20 working days to 15.

The ministry will further promote an online application system, expanding it from some pilot cities to all regions across the country, Wang said.

He said the ministry is also accelerating work on drafting two new documents with the aim of creating a better market environment. One document will deal with the management of surveying and mapping certificates, while the other will address surveying and mapping standards.

Yi Jun, vice-minister of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development told the news conference it is making similar efforts.

He said that since Nov 11, the number of certificates related to the activities of construction enterprises had been reduced from 593 to 245. The number of construction design certificates was reduced from 395 to 156, while the number of construction project certificates was cut from 138 to 61.

Yi said the ministry will continue its efforts to stimulate the market, reduce barriers to market access and allow smaller companies to participate in more projects.

"We will further improve the bidding system, encouraging more experienced enterprises with stronger technology support to get involved in construction projects," he said.