The General Office of the State Council issued a circular on April 23, requiring related departments to promote government information disclosure in 2021, the first year of implementing the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and embarking on a new journey toward a modern socialist country.
It underlined efforts to give full play to the positive role of government information disclosure in building a service-oriented government under the rule of law, and urged work to transform government functions so that government decisions, management and services are more transparent and standardized.
Governments at the county level or above should publish outlines of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), territory development plans, special plans and regional plans. They also should sort out previous plans and keep the public informed.
Information concerning market rules, standards and supervision should be open to the public, the circular said, adding that information disclosure on law enforcement against monopolies and unfair competition should be intensified, in an effort to build an honest, law-abiding market environment.
Disclosure of budget and final information should be improved, and local governments' debt information, policies and funds to benefit people's livelihoods and agricultural development should be published.
The circular also stressed efforts to disclose information on regular epidemic control, vaccine inoculation, patriotic health campaigns and the Healthy China initiative.
To ensure stability on six fronts and maintain security in six areas, authorities should publish major policies in a timely manner with in-depth interpretation, the circular said.
Policy consultation services should also be improved. Inquiries from policy implementers, enterprises and the public must be addressed, to ensure the policies are conveyed for a better business environment.
The circular called for new ways to interpret policies. A policy explanation system led by the State Council, with local governments and other departments involved, should be established to ensure policies are interpreted in a more effective way.
Practical interpretations about the background and intentions of the policies, as well as some major measures, will get more attention.
Centering on problems behind public opinions in government affairs, solution-oriented measures should be taken to address social concerns. Meanwhile, responses should be kept on the record, and implementation and disclosure performance of commitments made should be checked, to maintain credibility of the government.
Also, public opinions on epidemic prevention and control, real estate, finance, wage arrears, environmental pollution and ecological damage, food and drug safety, education, medical care, elderly care, safety production and the lives of people with difficulties should receive close attention and responses in a timely manner, to help prevent major risks.
By the end of 2021, local governments and departments under the State Council that formulate rules and regulations should publish the effective rules and regulations under information disclosure on government websites.
Online and mobile government services will be promoted.
Openness in grassroots government affairs should be standardized. State Council departments that have not formulated guidelines on grassroots government information disclosure in the areas under their jurisdiction should finish compiling them by the end of 2021.
Grassroots governments should continuously promote government information disclosure, deliver major policies and answer inquiries from the public.
The circular also stressed improved disclosure quality, standardized procedures for administrative reviews, and enhanced supporting systems.
