At a State Council executive meeting on Nov 18, Premier Li Keqiang emphasized the need to provide quality, highly efficient and convenient public services.

“Media reports said that people were often asked to show their ID card. Except in some cases, is it necessary to do so?” Premier Li proposed the question at the meeting.

One of the themes at the meeting was improving public services for mass entrepreneurship and the reform of streamlining administration and delegating power to lower-level governments.

The Premier said that over 700 approval items have been cut yet there are still problems.

At the meeting, Premier Li mentioned another piece of news that prompted broad concern as an example of the current problems.

A female resident from Kunming, Yunnan province, shuttled four times between different localities and government departments for a required certificate of single status for permanent residence in Chengdu, Sichuan province, but still failed after eight months.

Such incidents can lead to unnecessary efforts and waste of energy for citizens as well as government corruption, the Premier said.

The Premier put forward three measures to improve public services -- information disclosure, simplified procedures and data sharing.

“People should know what services governments can offer and what certificates they should provide, clearly defining and limiting government officials’ power,” the Premier said. He also said that certificates not required by law must be abolished, and procedures should be simplified to get certificates.

The Premier asked that a unified public information platform be created to avoid any confusion. “It can also help to supervise the government itself,” the Premier said.

“Some developed countries are using advanced technologies to build databases and promote information-sharing,” the Premier said, adding that technologies are also in place in China for government departments to share information.