Special regulation on govt inspection to help at local, higher levels

China's special regulation on government inspection is intended to endow governments at county levels and above with rights to conduct supervision on administrative bodies and ensure that inspections are conducted in a standardized manner, an official said on Wednesday.

Premier Li Keqiang recently signed a State Council decree announcing the issuance of a set of rules on government inspections. The new regulation will take effect starting on Feb 1.

Fan Bi, an official with the inspection unit of the General Office of the State Council, said the new set of rules has standardized the procedures of government inspection and outlined support measures needed, including funding and institutional support, to ensure the inspection will be carried out smoothly.

The regulation clarified issues, including which government units can conduct inspection, the targets of the inspection and the focal areas of the inspection, he said.

Zhang Yaoming, an official with the Ministry of Justice, said the regulation will help ensure effective policy implementation from the central government and spur administrative bodies at various levels to perform their duties in accordance with the law.

The new regulation also draws on experience from previous inspection practices from governments at various levels, he said.

Fan highlighted the important role of using the internet to garner clues on wrongdoing from the public on the government inspection, saying the inspection units will relay feedback to the public immediately after the conclusion of investigations.

"Through the use of big data and artificial intelligence technologies, we can find some systemic and trending issues and enable the inspection to play a role of early warning and help decision making," he said.