[An Nahar] China is to effectively abolish its scandal-plagued railways ministry as part of a sweep of government reforms aimed at tackling inefficiency and corruption, a top official told parliament on Sunday.The changes include bolstering a maritime body as China engages in island disputes with its neighbors, and giving an economic development body more say over the one-child policy as the country faces a shrinking labour pool.
"The administrative system in effect still has many areas not suited to the demands of new circumstances and duties," Ma Kai, secretary general of the State Council, China's cabinet, told the National People's Congress parliament at its annual gathering in Beijing, according to a copy of his speech.
Inadequate supervision had led to "work left undone or done messily, abuse of power and corruption," he said, adding that some areas were insufficiently managed while others had "too many cooks in the kitchen".
Analysts, though, expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the moves.
David Goodman, a China politics expert at the University of Sydney, pointed out that reorganization alone could not stamp out corruption.
"They are very serious reforms," he said, "but they are not going to attack that question of making officials more accountable and more responsible."