Reinforcing Xi's Leadership of Foreign Policy & Economy - New Regulations Call for Fewer Meetings, Shorter Speeches & Concise Documents

It’s the Beidaihe week, and so the paper has had little really interesting to cover. But today, there are three interesting pieces that I think deserve the effort. All of these are mentioned on the front page. So, here goes:

The first one is about how Xi Jinping has led China’s major power diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.

Now, this is an important piece, particularly in light of Xi not attending the BRICS summit, which resulted in discussions around him stepping back and delegating more authority. This, however, should not be interpreted as Xi stepping back from being in command of Chinese foreign policy, and this article underscores that. Another bit that strikes me is what’s covered and what’s omitted. For instance, there’s clearly substantial emphasis on ties with Russia in the article. Essentially, the framing in this regard places it as the most important relationship from Beijing’s perspective; there’s a sense of the two being comrades in arms. On the other hand, there’s no mention of the India-Pakistan war. Likewise, there’s no mention of the BRICS summit. To my mind, among other reasons, this is primarily because Xi Jinping did not have any direct public involvement with these events.

Anyway, the first section of this article basically covers Xi’s foreign engagements so far this year. These include the visit to Astana for the China-Central Asia summit; the Central Conference on Work Related to Neighboring Countries and visit to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia; and Xi’s visit to Russia. The section also says:

“This September, China will solemnly hold an event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. President Xi Jinping will meet with international friends in Beijing, sending a clear signal to the world to remember history, honour the memory of the martyrs, cherish peace, and forge ahead into the future.” 今年9月，中国将隆重举行纪念中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利80周年活动。习近平主席将同国际友人相聚北京，向世界发出铭记历史、缅怀先烈、珍爱和平、开创未来的鲜明信号.

The second section begins with this:

“In 2025, regional hotspots are flaring up one after another around the world, conflicts and crises are dragging on and recurring, tariff wars and trade wars are impacting the world economic order, unilateral bullying is impacting multilateral mechanisms, and new and old challenges are emerging one after another. ‘What’s wrong with the world, what should we do?’ Humanity’s call for peace and development is growing stronger, and the yearning for stability, reliability, and a sense of direction is becoming more urgent. Major powers possess more resources and have stronger capabilities. They have a greater influence on world peace, stability, and development. Therefore, they ought to shoulder more responsibilities for promoting the common well-being of humanity and demonstrate the responsibility of major powers.” 2025年的世界，地区热点此起彼伏，冲突危机延宕反复，关税战、贸易战冲击世界经济秩序，单边霸凌冲击多边机制，新旧挑战层出不穷。“世界怎么了、我们怎么办？”人类对和平与发展的呼声愈发强烈，对稳定性、可靠性、方向感的渴望更加迫切。大国拥有更多资源、具备更强能力，对世界和平、稳定与发展具有更大影响力，理应为促进人类共同福祉承担更多责任，展现大国应有的担当.

The first part of this section says:

“On March 28, as spring was in full swing, a special meeting was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. President Xi Jinping gathered together with more than 40 global chairpersons and CEOs of foreign-funded enterprises and representatives of business associations for in-depth exchanges. In the face of the countercurrent of ‘decoupling and breaking chains’, President Xi Jinping clearly said: ‘China’s promotion of reform and opening-up is unwavering, the door to opening up will only open wider and wider, and the policy of utilizing foreign investment has not changed and will not change.’ ‘Walking with China is walking with opportunity, believing in China is believing in tomorrow, and investing in China is investing in the future.’ On May 13, President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the China-CELAC Forum in Beijing and delivered a keynote speech. ‘Only through solidarity and cooperation can countries safeguard world peace and stability and promote global development and prosperity.’ Strengthening the alignment of development strategies and deeply advancing high-quality joint construction of BRI; China will import more high-quality products from Latin American countries and encourage Chinese enterprises to expand investment in Latin America ... these series of important measures demonstrate the shared choice of China and Latin America to safeguard an international environment of openness and cooperation. Amid a complex and severe international situation, China unswervingly expands high-level opening-up to the outside world. A series of major economic and trade exhibitions hosted in China have attracted businesspeople from all over the world; unilateral or full mutual visa exemptions have been implemented for 75 countries, with the number of countries eligible for visa-free transit expanded to 55; under the framework of high-quality BRI cooperation with Latin America, more than 200 infrastructure projects have been implemented; China has announced the implementation of a zero-tariff policy for 100% of taxable products from 53 African countries that have diplomatic relations with China; and in the first half of the year, imports and exports with more than 190 countries and regions achieved growth … ‘In an increasingly unpredictable global environment, China is an oasis of certainty.’ ‘We are confident in cooperating with China because both we and China focus on long-term development’ … This consensus of international business leaders fully confirms that China is a hotbed for global investment, cooperation, and innovation, and is a stabilizing anchor and source of momentum for the world economy.” 3月28日，春意勃发，北京人民大会堂举行了一场特别的会见。习近平主席同40余位外资企业全球董事长、首席执行官以及商协会代表共聚一堂，深入交流。面对“脱钩断链”的逆流，习近平主席明确指出：“中国推进改革开放坚定不移，开放的大门只会越开越大，利用外资的政策没有变也不会变”“与中国同行就是与机遇同行，相信中国就是相信明天，投资中国就是投资未来”。5月13日，习近平主席在北京出席中拉论坛第四届部长级会议开幕式并发表主旨讲话。“各国唯有团结协作，才能维护世界和平稳定，促进全球发展繁荣。”加强发展战略对接，深入推进高质量共建“一带一路”；中方将进口更多拉方优质产品，鼓励中国企业扩大对拉投资……一系列重要举措，展现中拉维护开放合作国际环境的共同选择。复杂严峻的国际形势下，中国坚定不移扩大高水平对外开放。一系列主场经贸展会吸引各国客商纷至沓来；对75个国家实行单方面免签或全面互免签证，过境免签国家扩展到55个；同拉方在高质量共建“一带一路”框架内已累计实施200多个基础设施建设项目；宣布落实对53个非洲建交国实施100%税目产品零关税举措；上半年对190多个国家和地区进出口实现增长……“在日益不可预测的全球环境中，中国是一片确定性的绿洲”“我们对同中国合作有信心，是因为我们和中国都着眼于长期发展”……国际工商界人士的共识充分印证，中国是面向世界的投资热土、合作热土、创新热土，是世界经济的稳定锚和动力源.

The second part of this section deals with “global strategic stability”. It basically covers developments in ties with Russia, China and Europe.

“As two major powers neighbouring each other on the Eurasian continent, China and Russia bear a special responsibility for maintaining world peace and development. When visiting Russia in 2013, President Xi Jinping explained the global significance of China-Russia relations this way: ‘A high-level, strong China-Russia relationship not only conforms to the interests of both China and Russia, but is also an important guarantee for maintaining international strategic balance and world peace and stability.’ Since the beginning of this year, President Xi Jinping and President Putin have continued to maintain close contacts in various ways. ‘Riding the storms together, overcoming obstacles together’—President Xi Jinping’s summary of China-Russia relations during his May visit to Moscow—demonstrates the strategic choices made by the two major countries for the future amidst the accelerating global changes. The China-Russia joint statement on global strategic stability and the joint statement on further strengthening cooperation to maintain the authority of international law send a strong message of the times for jointly maintaining international order.” 作为亚欧大陆上比邻而居的两个大国，中俄对维护世界和平发展负有特殊责任。2013年到访俄罗斯时，习近平主席曾这样阐释中俄关系的世界意义：“一个高水平、强有力的中俄关系，不仅符合中俄双方利益，也是维护国际战略平衡和世界和平稳定的重要保障。”今年以来，习近平主席同普京总统继续以多种方式保持密切交往。“风雨同渡、关山共越”，5月莫斯科之行，习近平主席对中俄关系的概括，展现出两个大国在加速演进的世界变局中面向未来的战略抉择。中俄关于全球战略稳定的联合声明、关于进一步加强合作维护国际法权威的联合声明，发出携手维护国际秩序的时代强音.

“The stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-US relations will benefit the people of both countries and the entire world. ‘Both sides should strengthen cooperation based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, and do more major things, practical things, and good things that benefit both countries and the world.’ In January, President Xi Jinping spoke by phone with US President-elect Trump, demonstrating the vision and broad-mindedness of the leader of a major Eastern power. Regarding economic and trade issues of great concern to both China and the US, as well as the international community, President Xi Jinping clarified China’s position in a June phone call with President Trump: ‘The two sides should make good use of the established economic and trade consultation mechanism, uphold an attitude of equality, respect each other’s concerns, and strive for a win-win outcome. China is sincere and principled in this regard. From the high-level China-US economic and trade talks in Geneva in May, to the first meeting of the China-US Economic and Trade Consultation Mechanism in London in June, to the new round of China-US economic and trade talks in Stockholm in July, the world expects China and the US to follow up on the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, adhere to the correct direction of resolving issues, and take new steps to properly handle differences, deepen mutual trust, and achieve win-win cooperation.” 中美关系稳定、健康、可持续发展，于两国人民是福祉，于整个世界是福音。“双方要本着相互尊重、和平共处、合作共赢原则，加强合作，多办一些有利于两国和世界的大事、实事、好事”。1月，习近平主席在应约同美国当选总统特朗普通电话时铿锵有力的话语，彰显东方大国领袖的视野和胸怀。围绕中美两国和国际社会都很关注的经贸问题，习近平主席在6月应约同特朗普总统通电话时阐明中方立场：“双方要用好已经建立的经贸磋商机制，秉持平等态度，尊重各自关切，争取双赢结果。对此，中方是有诚意的，同时也是有原则的。”从5月日内瓦中美经贸高层会谈，到6月伦敦中美经贸磋商机制首次会议，再到7月斯德哥尔摩新一轮中美经贸会谈……外界期待中美按照两国元首达成的重要共识，沿着解决问题的正确方向，迈出妥处分歧、深化互信、合作共赢的新步伐.

“‘Both China and Europe are constructive forces that advocate multilateralism and promote open cooperation. The more severe and complex the international situation, the more China and Europe need to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, and deepen cooperation.’ On the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, President Xi Jinping reviewed history, focused on the present, and took a long-term perspective. He summarized four important experiences and inspirations and put forward three proposals to chart the course for the steady and long-term development of China-EU relations amidst a changing world. Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez’s third visit to China in three years, French President Macron and German Chancellor Merz respectively talking by phone with Chinese leaders, European Council President Costa and European Commission President von der Leyen coming to China together, China-EU leaders issuing a joint statement on addressing climate change … the trend of Europe’s exchanges and interactions with China fully demonstrates that deepening communication and cooperation with China is an inevitable choice.” “中欧都是主张多边主义、倡导开放合作的建设性力量，国际形势越是严峻复杂，中欧就越要加强沟通、增进互信、深化合作。”中欧建交50年之际，习近平主席回顾历史、立足当前、着眼长远，总结四点重要经验和启示，提出三点主张，为中欧关系在世界变局中行稳致远指明方向。西班牙首相桑切斯三年来第三次访华，法国总统马克龙、德国总理默茨分别同中国领导人通电话，欧洲理事会主席科斯塔、欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩联袂来华，中欧领导人发表关于应对气候变化的联合声明……欧洲对华交往互动的态势充分表明，同中国深化沟通合作是必然选择.

The final section briefly covers the following:

• Xi Jinping’s four proposals with regard to the Israel-Iran war: “promoting a ceasefire and ending fighting is the top priority; ensuring the safety of civilians is the paramount concern; initiating dialogue and negotiation is the fundamental solution; and international peace-promoting efforts are indispensable.”

• Before the UN Climate Change Conference in Belém, China has pledged to announce its economy-wide Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for 2035, encompassing all greenhouse gases

• China will work to implement the UN General Assembly resolution on ‘Strengthening International Cooperation in AI Capacity Building. It has proposed the establishment of a World AI Cooperation Organization

• China has established an International Organisation for Mediation along with 32 countries in Hong Kong.

The second feature piece on the front page is about how Xi Jinping has led China’s high-quality development. I am not doing a detailed breakdown. But some standout points are:

• “The International Monetary Fund has recently significantly raised its forecast for China’s economic growth this year.” Of course, what this sentence does not inform is that the IMF’s recent projection says that China’s economy will expand by 4.8% in 2025, up 0.8 percentage point from its previous forecast in April. But this is still below the “around 5%” goal that’s been set for the year by China’s leaders. Well, I guess 4.8% is technically “around 5%”

• “How can one forge ahead against the wind? Thought is the sail, striving forward through the waves. Doing economic work in accordance with the new development concept, this is both the epistemology and methodology emphasised by General Secretary Xi Jinping, and also a guide to action.” 何以逆风前行？思想为帆，踏浪争先。按照新发展理念做好经济工作，这是习近平总书记强调的认识论、方法论，也是行动指南. The piece then talks about focusing on sustainable development and ensuring that innovation is the primary driving force for development. It also says that “high-quality development must adhere to economic principles while also adapting to local conditions and highlighting local characteristics.” 高质量发展，既要遵循经济规律，又要因地制宜，突出自身特色.

• In the computer room of the intelligent computing center built by Inner Mongolia Zhongke Supercomputing Technology Co. Ltd., rows of black cabinets are neatly arranged, and server lights flicker from time to time. The local climate, with an annual average temperature of 7 degrees Celsius, a preferential electricity price of 0.32 yuan per kilowatt-hour, and the company's proportion of green electricity exceeding 80%, together make the electricity cost about two-thirds lower than that of similar projects in Beijing. Build first, then break. Inner Mongolia is currently systematically eliminating high-energy-consuming data centers, strictly controlling the energy consumption of new data centers, and focusing on solving the challenge of coordinating the development of computing power and electricity. In today’s China, over 1.43 million gigabytes of data are transmitted in the cloud every second. The ‘Eastern Data, Western Computing’ project allows the new development philosophy of innovation, coordination, green, openness, and sharing to play a symphony of high-quality development. Each region is identifying its position within the overall national development landscape, fully unleashing its comparative advantages, and achieving more effective complementarity of strengths. 内蒙古中科超算科技有限公司建设的智算中心机房里，一排排黑色机柜整齐排列，一台台服务器不时闪烁灯光。这里全年平均7摄氏度的气候，每度电0.32元的优惠价格，以及公司80%以上的绿电比例，让用电成本相比北京同类项目低约2/3。先立后破，目前内蒙古正有序淘汰高耗能数据中心，严格控制新建数据中心能耗，着力解决算力与电力协同发展难题。在如今的中国，一秒钟，超143万GB的数据在云端传输。“东数西算”，让创新、协调、绿色、开放、共享的新发展理念奏响高质量发展的协奏曲，各地区在全国发展大局中找准定位，比较优势充分释放，优势互补更加有效.

• “Governing a country is like tuning a zither, string connecting to string, each tune layering upon another.” 理国如张瑟，弦弦相系、韵韵相叠. Basically, under this concept, the piece talks about coordinated regional development and the reduction of the urban-rural gap. For instance, it says that “in the first half of this year, the ratio of per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents in China dropped from 2.45 to 2.42 in the same period last year”. In addition: “in the first half of this year, the national per capita disposable income increased by 5.3% in nominal terms over the same period last year, and by 5.4% in real terms after adjusting for price factors. The nominal and real growth rates of rural residents’ income outpaced those of urban residents by 1.2 and 1.5 percentage points, respectively.”

• The piece also talks about the two unswervings, i.e., a slogan that expresses support for the private sector. In this context, it adds: “In the new era and on the new journey, the private economy holds broad prospects for development and great potential. It is time for private enterprises and entrepreneurs to showcase their capabilities.’ Bearing in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping’s instructions at the symposium on private enterprises, private enterprises and entrepreneurs are firmly committed to the path of high-quality development. In the first half of this year, private investment in infrastructure in our country increased by 9.5% year-on-year, and private investment in manufacturing increased by 6.7% year-on-year; import and export by private enterprises increased by 7.3% year-on-year, and their share in China’s foreign trade rose by 2.3 percentage points compared to the same period last year.” “新时代新征程民营经济发展前景广阔、大有可为，广大民营企业和民营企业家大显身手正当其时。”牢记习近平总书记在民营企业座谈会上的嘱托，广大民营企业和民营企业家坚定走高质量发展之路。今年上半年，我国基础设施民间投资同比增长9.5%，制造业民间投资同比增长6.7%；民营企业进出口同比增长7.3%，占我国外贸比重较去年同期提升2.3个百分点.

• The article argues that “achieving high-level self-reliance and self-strengthening is the most essential characteristic of building a new development pattern…Building a new development pattern is not only a strategic need for China’s own development, but also helps to offset the impact of external shocks and declining external demand, achieving the state of ‘remaining calmly seated in a fishing boat no matter how the winds and waves arise’. The characteristic of a major economy is that it is driven primarily by domestic demand and capable of internal circulation.” 构建新发展格局，既是我国自身发展的战略需要，也有利于化解外部冲击和外需下降带来的影响，做到“任凭风浪起，稳坐钓鱼船”。大国经济的特征都是内需为主导、内部可循环.

• The piece talks about diversifying markets and boosting domestic demand amid external pressure. It gives the following examples:

“Internationally, Yiwu City has focused on emerging markets in Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa, furthering the small commodity city brand’s global expansion. In the first half of this year, 14 new global expansion projects were signed, with a cumulative total of 60 projects implemented, covering 28 countries and regions, and supporting over 5,000 merchants in their global expansion efforts. On the domestic front, the city has pushed the market expansion initiative, organizing hundreds of enterprises to go to places such as Mohan in Yunnan, Jingdezhen in Jiangxi, Jinjiang in Fujian, and Zhengding in Hebei to carry out trade matchmaking meetings. Yiwu merchants are nearly holding a ‘small exhibition every three days and a large one every week’.” 国际方面，聚焦中亚、东南亚、南美、非洲等区域和新兴市场，纵深推进小商品城品牌出海征程，今年上半年，新签约品牌出海项目14个，累计布局落地60个，覆盖28个国家和地区，服务5000余家商户出海开拓全球市场；国内方面，深入推进“市场万里行”行动，组织数百家企业赴云南磨憨、江西景德镇、福建晋江、河北正定等地开展贸易对接会，义乌商户几乎是“三天一小展，一周一大展”。

Also this: “As of the first half of this year, the goods trade-in policy has driven sales worth 2.9 trillion yuan, with approximately 400 million people benefiting from subsidies. In the first half of the year, domestic demand contributed 68.8% to GDP growth, of which final consumption expenditure contributed 52%.”截至今年上半年，消费品以旧换新政策带动销售额2.9万亿元，约4亿人次享受补贴优惠。上半年，内需对国内生产总值增长的贡献率达68.8%，其中最终消费支出贡献率为52%.

• The piece also talks about building a unified market and dealing with disorderly competition.

• “As of now, among the main indicators of the ‘14th Five-Year Plan’, 8 indicators, including the urbanization rate of the permanent population, per capita life expectancy, and the comprehensive production capacity of grain and energy, have progressed beyond expectations; indicators such as economic growth, overall labor productivity, and total R&D expenditure across society have progressed in line with expectations; a series of major progress and significant results have been achieved in the 102 key projects, and it is expected that all planned targets will be completed by the end of the year. 截至目前，“十四五”规划各项主要指标中，常住人口城镇化率，人均预期寿命，粮食、能源综合生产能力等8项指标进展超过预期；经济增长、全员劳动生产率、全社会研发经费投入等指标进展符合预期；102项重大工程取得一系列重大进展、重大成效，预计年底前能全部完成规划目标.

Finally, the full Several Provisions on Rectifying Formalism to Reduce the Burden on Grassroots Units is published in the paper. This document was approved by the Politburo on July 30, 2024, and was issued on August 6, 2024.

Xinhua’s report on this has a really concise beginning. It says: “Chinese officials have been instructed to hold fewer meetings, give shorter speeches, file concise documents, and minimize inspections, according to a new set of regulations published Wednesday.”

Here’s a breakdown":

First, there are two really interesting points on documentation. As someone who works at a policy think tank, these resonate with me too.

1. The total number of official documents issued annually by a department should only decrease, not increase, and departments exceeding their previous year’s document volume should provide written justification. Deliberative and coordinating bodies, departments, and units must not issue directive documents to lower-level Party committees and governments, or propose directive requirements within documents. Daily dynamic monitoring shall be strengthened to prevent circumventing document quantity control through means such as turning ‘red-header’ documents into ‘white-header’ ones, replacing official documents with memos, or combining multiple documents into one. 地方和部门发文严格实行计划管理、总量管控和发文立项制度，严格控制临时性、配套类、分工类发文。年度实际发文数量一般只减不增，超过上年度的应当向上级党委办公厅（室）书面说明。议事协调机构、部门和单位不得向下级党委和政府发布指令性公文或者在公文中提出指令性要求。加强日常动态监测，防止以“红头”变“白头”、正式改便笺、多文合一等方式规避发文数量管理.

2. Have a concise, substantive, and original (短实新) writing style; Xinhua translates this as “focused, substantive and innovative”. Except for deploying comprehensive work, local government and department documents should generally not exceed 5,000 characters; documents deploying special work or specific tasks should generally not exceed 4,000 characters. Documents should get straight to the point and go directly to the theme, focusing on proposing policy measures for implementation; generally there is no need to elaborate on situational background, significance, or main principles and other content; if explanation is necessary, it should be concise and to the point. Content regarding strengthening leadership, implementing responsibility, and organizational guarantees should be streamlined. Supporting documents should directly propose specific implementation measures and must not simply copy upper-level documents. 坚持“短实新”文风，除部署综合性工作外，地方和部门文件一般不超过5000字，部署专项工作或者具体任务的文件一般不超过4000字。文件应当开门见山、直奔主题，着重提出贯彻落实的政策措施，一般不必阐述形势背景、重要意义、主要原则等内容，确需阐述的应当简明扼要；加强领导、落实责任、组织保障等内容应当精炼。配套文件应当直接提出具体落实措施，不得简单照搬照抄上位文件.

On meetings, the document says:

• Meetings must be strictly planned and managed. Statutory and institutional meetings must be conducted in accordance with relevant regulations. In principle, no more than one comprehensive work meeting per year should be held within the system or field. Business meetings held by departments at all levels should be consolidated or streamlined where possible. Routine meetings at all levels should be streamlined and practical, with a controlled frequency. Matters that can be combined for discussion and deliberation should be consolidated. Do not deliberately hold meetings that extend late into the night or require overnight sessions in order to convey higher-level directives. Without approval from the main responsible comrade of the Party committee at the same level, meetings that directly reach the grassroots (including teleconferences and online video conferences) must not be held arbitrarily. For those that have already reached the grassroots directly, there shall be no repeated meetings at multiple levels. The frequency of on-site observation meetings and promotion meetings will be reduced. In principle, no special meetings should be held to coordinate work items for which documents have been issued. Party committees and governments at municipal and county levels should strengthen overall coordination of annual comprehensive meetings, prevent clustering of meetings at year-end and beginning of year, and significantly reduce the number of meetings attended by main responsible comrades of townships (sub-districts) Party and government organizations and Party organization secretaries and village (community) committee directors of villages (neighbourhood). 4.严控会议数量。召开会议严格实行计划管理。法定性、制度性会议按照有关规定执行。本系统本领域综合性工作会议，原则上每年不超过1次，各级部门召开的业务工作会议能合并的合并、能精简的精简。各级召开日常性会议应当精简务实、控制频次，可以合并研究审议的事项应当合并。对上级精神不刻意搞开会传达不过夜。未经同级党委主要负责同志批准，不得随意召开直达基层的会议（含电视电话、网络视频会议），对已直接开到基层的，不再层层召开。压减现场观摩会、推进会等频次数量。已制发文件的工作事项原则上不再专门开会部署。市县两级党委和政府对年度综合性会议加大统筹力度，防止年底年初扎堆开会，明显减少乡镇（街道）党政主要负责同志和村（社区）党组织书记、村（居）委会主任参加的会议数量.

• The second point in this section calls to limit the number of participants in meetings.

• The final point says: Strictly implement requirements for holding short meetings and having brief speeches. In meetings attended by main Party and government leaders of localities, they generally should not speak at the same time. Speeches by main responsible comrades or main meeting reports should not exceed 1 hour. When speech arrangements are made, speaking time should be controlled, general work briefings and position statements of position should not be given. Meetings that arrange group discussions should, in principle, not exceed one and a half days. Other meetings should generally be conducted within half a day. Meetings that can be held via teleconference or online video need not be held as concentrated gatherings. 从严落实开短会、讲短话要求，地方党政主要负责同志同时参加的会议一般不同时讲话，主要负责同志讲话或者会议主报告不超过1小时，有发言安排的应当控制发言时间，不搞一般性工作汇报、表态。安排分组讨论的会议，会期原则上不超过1天半，其他会议一般安排半天以内。能采用电视电话、网络视频形式召开的会议，可不集中开会.

The next section is on limiting the number of inspection and supervision meetings and visits. This is followed by a brief section on secondment of cadres. It says:

• In principle, higher-level organs and units must not second cadres from county-level and lower units. It is not permitted to disguise cadre secondment in the name of special work teams, on-the-job study, exchange training, etc. When higher-level organs and units second cadres from municipal-level and above units, it must be focused on urgent work needs, and the number must be strictly controlled. If secondment is indeed necessary, it must be approved by the Party group (Party committee) of the unit, and then reported for the record to the Organization Department of the Party committee at the same level. The secondment period shall generally not exceed 6 months; in special circumstances where an extension is needed, the extended period shall generally not exceed 6 months, and prior consent must be obtained from the sending unit and the individual concerned. 10.不向县及以下单位借调干部。上级机关、单位原则上不得从县及以下单位借调干部。不得以工作专班、跟班学习、交流锻炼等名义变相借调干部。11.严控向市及以上单位借调干部。上级机关、单位从市及以上单位借调干部，应当聚焦工作急需，从严控制数量。确需借调的，应当经本单位党组（党委）审批同意后，报同级党委组织部门备案。借调时间一般不超过6个月，特殊情况需要延期的，延长时间一般不超过6个月，并应当提前征得派出单位和本人同意.

The next section deals with standardising the management of government mobile internet applications. It says:

• In principle, each central and state organ department may operate no more than one government mobile internet application targeted at the grassroots. Functions such as form-filling, data reporting, and material submission should generally not extend down to the county level. Where multiple government applications currently reach the grassroots, they should be gradually cleaned up, reduced, and integrated. Each region should clean up and integrate government applications targeting units below the county level. Grassroots units must not be arbitrarily asked for data or materials. When the grassroots are required to fill out forms, report data, or submit materials, in principle, this should be done via the provincial-level platform and promote data sharing. For data and materials that can be automatically generated by the system or obtained through sharing, grassroots should no longer be required to submit them. For materials of the same type, there should be a ‘report at most once’ rule, and repeated submission of paper materials must not be required again. Departments must not request additional separate submissions. For form-filling, data reporting, and material submission functions of municipal- and county-level government applications, these should be gradually integrated and unified with corresponding functions on the provincial-level platform. 中央和国家机关部门原则上最多运行1个面向基层的政务移动互联网应用程序（以下简称政务应用程序），填表报数交材料功能一般不向下延伸到县级；现有多个政务应用程序到基层的，应当逐步清理压减整合。各地区对面向县以下单位的政务应用程序进行清理整合。不得随意向基层要数据材料，需要基层填表报数交材料的，原则上应当通过省级平台报送并推动数据共享，能够通过系统自动生成或者共享获取的数据材料，不再要求基层报送、实现同类材料“最多报一次”，不得再要求重复报送纸质材料，部门不得要求另行报送。市县级政务应用程序的填表报数交材料功能，应当逐步与省级平台相应功能整合统一.

• Strictly conduct project approval reviews for government affairs application programs and incorporate them into unified technical supervision; none may be newly built without approval from information technology project approval departments. Where industry systems already have unified government applications, relevant permissions should be opened to local governments to promote interoperability between vertical management systems and local platforms, eliminating the need for duplication. Except for special scenarios such as security and emergency response, other types of government applications must not include mandatory functions such as clock-in, point rankings, and online time statistics. 严格政务应用程序立项审核，并纳入统一技术监管，未经信息化项目审批部门批准，不得新建。行业系统已建有统一政务应用程序的，应当向地方开放相关权限，推进垂管系统与地方平台互联互通，地方不再重复建设。除安保、应急等特殊场景规定外，其他各类政务应用程序不得设置打卡签到、积分排名、统计在线时长等强制性功能.

• Government affairs application programs must not be mandatorily promoted for download and use, user installation and usage rates must not be assessed and reported, and mandatory requirements for regular login must not be imposed. Government applications must not be used as the primary vehicle for daily work assessments or online supervision and inspections. Likes, online votes, reposts, and study time must not be used as evaluation criteria. Subordinate and grassroots units must not be forced to upload work photos, videos, and work schedules through government applications unless necessary. 不得强制推广下载使用政务应用程序，不得考核通报用户安装使用率，不得强制要求定期登录等。不得把政务应用程序异化为工作考核日常化、督查检查线上化的主要载体，不得将点赞量、网络投票数、转发量、学习时长等作为考评依据，非必要不得强制要求下级和基层单位通过政务应用程序上传工作照片、视频和轨迹等.

The final section of the document talks about some really interesting things. It calls for a significant reduction in the number of model-creation demonstration activities and compliance-achievement/ benchmark-meeting activities (大幅减少各种创建示范和达标活动.) It says:

“Without approval, it is not permitted to add new model creation demonstration activities or compliance-achievement activities, or title-granting and naming activities such as those labeling a place as a ‘city of’, ‘hometown of’, or ‘base of’ something. Municipal and county-level Party and government organs and mass organizations as well as townships (sub-districts) shall not conduct model creation demonstration activities. No ranking of model creation results shall be conducted.” 大幅减少各种创建示范和达标活动，未经批准不得新增创建示范和达标活动以及“城市”、“之乡”、“基地”等授牌命名活动。市县级党政机关和群团组织以及乡镇（街道）不开展创建示范活动。不搞创建结果排名.

Focus on actual effectiveness of model creation demonstration activities. These activities must not be divorced from local resource endowment conditions and industrial development reality. They must not engage in ‘campaign-style’, ‘showy-style’, or ‘short-term gusts of wind’ approaches. They must not impose requirements on creating a positive atmosphere and must not disrupt the normal production and life of the masses. Units participating in such activities should persist in frugal operations, eliminate waste, and must not incur debt for creation activities. No fees may be charged for demonstration activities, and fees must not be collected in disguised forms such as through partnerships or sponsorships. 注重创建示范实效。创建示范活动不得脱离地方资源禀赋条件和产业发展实际，不得搞“运动式”、“作秀式”、“一阵风”，不对氛围营造提要求，不影响群众正常生产生活。参与创建示范活动的单位应当坚持节俭办事，杜绝浪费，不得举债搞创建。创建示范活动不得收取费用，不得以搞合作、拉赞助等方式变相收取费用.

In addition, compliance-achievement/ benchmark-meeting activities will be conducted at the grassroots level. 在基层不搞达标活动.