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BEIJING, Sept. 6-- China will keep streamlining administrative approvals and cutting red tape to improve business environment, a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday decided. The government will expand a pilot reform already in trial in the Shanghai Pudong New Area on separating operation permits with business licenses and clearing 116 approval items, to 10 free trade zones across the country, including those in Tianjin, Chongqing, Liaoning and Zhejiang. Provincial governments are authorized to extend the measures to eligible national-level new areas, innovation demonstration zones, high-tech industry zones and economic and technology development zones. A priority of the reform is to standardize various administrative approvals. Many of them will be canceled, while some others will be switched to simpler approaches. The government will improve transparency and predictability of policies and provide standardized services, and make sure enterprises conduct the filings and fulfill their promises in accord with industry standards. "Streamlining approvals, delegating power to lower levels and improving regulation and services are major measures to transform government functions and advance supply-side structural reform. This term of government has prioritized the reform of the approval system and institutional reform in the business sector, which in essence aim to develop a fair and just market environment. Facts showed that our efforts are paying off," Li said. | 
