Premier vows less red tape

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has vowed to streamline administrative procedures for citizens, giving them service more comparable to which China has offered foreign investors.

"We have provided 'one-stop' services to attract foreign investment and projects. So why shouldn't local governments and departments offer the same high standards for our own people?" Li said during an executive meeting of China's cabinet on Wednesday.

The Chinese public have long faced bureaucracy when dealing with government departments, and they have been increasingly calling for improvement.

In response, and also aiming to promote entrepreneurship, the central government has invalidated more than 700 administrative procedures since March 2013.

At Wednesday's meeting, Li also urged local governments, departments and service providers to publicize their duties and responsibilities in "power lists" so that the public are more clear on to whom to turn.

A platform should be established for different departments to share information so they can work more efficiently and transparently, he added.

In March, China's provincial-level governments were ordered to make their power lists available to the public before the end of 2015.

The Beijing municipal government will soon come up with a list of its more than 2,400 duties and responsibilities, it said recently. Endi