Stay informed with free updates
Simply sign up to the Chinese politics & policy myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.
China has implored officials to hold fewer meetings and slash the length of official reports, ordering a nationwide campaign to tackle the “stubborn and persistent ills” of “formalism and bureaucracy” in the government.
A directive published this week by state media called on officials to “improve document quality”, ensure they “adhere to a ‘short, practical and concise’ writing style” and limit themselves to 5,000 characters.
The statement said departments should reduce the number of official documents they produce annually, and submit a written explanation if the amount increases.
Meetings should also be consolidated and streamlined, the directive said, with speeches not to exceed one hour. The number of people in attendance should be subject to strict controls.
The directive — which contained 4.845 characters — was issued by the ruling Chinese Communist party and the state council, China’s cabinet, and outlined 21 provisions including improvements to how officials are assessed, the process for their secondment and the proliferation of government mobile apps.
The measures are the latest sign of a renewed drive under leader Xi Jinping to refocus policymakers’ efforts on strengthening China’s economy, which is at the slowest rate in decades, and curb fruitless activity in the expansive state sector. Xi last month issued an unusually blunt warning to local officials against over-investment in artificial intelligence and electric vehicles.
Xi has also waged a wide-ranging anti-corruption crackdown across all levels of the now 100mn-member CCP over his more than decade in power.
The campaign on bureaucracy, described as a way to reduce the burden on the party’s grassroots and preserve members’ energy, comes three months after Beijing tightened rules on officials’ dining, smoking and drinking expenses, known as “gourmet graft”.
Local governments across China have issued restrictions on alcohol consumption across the state apparatus following a number of incidents in which people died after excessive drinking.
According to multiple people affected by the “gourmet graft” campaign, officials have been required to seek their superiors’ approval to attend gatherings of more than two colleagues. Some officials have also been summoned for alcohol tests in the evening.
However, there are signs that the prohibitions on gatherings are compounding a sluggish domestic economy, where a four-year running property sector slump and weak domestic consumption have weighed on growth.
Aggregate revenue of the country’s catering sector recorded a 0.9 per cent increase in June, down from a 5.4 per cent rise a year earlier, data from the national statistics bureau showed.
Banquet halls across the country have begun selling takeaways in a bid to rescue failing businesses, according to local residents and social media posts.
“Rectifying improper dining and drinking can coexist with normal consumption,” a commentary published on state-owned Xinhua news agency said in June.
Additional reporting by Wang Xueqiao in Shanghai and Gloria Li in Hong Kong
