The central leadership, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, has always attached great importance to combating formalism and reducing burden at grassroots level. In August 2024, the General Office and the State Council issued the ‘Several Provisions on Combating Formalism and Reducing Burden at Grassroots Level’ (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Several Provisions’). This marks the first time that regulations within the Party have been introduced to reduce burden at the grassroots level. Over the past year, various regions and departments have conscientiously implemented the ‘Several Provisions’, focusing on addressing prominent issues, deepening reform, and establishing sound long-term mechanisms, which have yielded remarkable results. Combating formalism and reducing burden at the grassroots level is a tough and long-term battle. All regions and departments should continue to deepen implementation, address remaining issues, sustain the grounding of the ‘Several Provisions’, and continuously consolidate and expand the effectiveness of burden reduction. This newspaper has excerpted and published sections on the study and implementation of the ‘Several Provisions’ by some departments and localities…
