Warning against the ballooning bureaucracy which costs China billions of dollars yearly in so-called "official consumption", a veteran political advisor Monday called for a new round of government streamlining across the country.

"Currently every 26 ordinary citizens in China have to support one official, while spending on government cars, reception fees and official training or tours abroad have reached a whopping amount," said Ren Yuling, a member of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC),China's top advisory body which is convening its annual full session in Beijing.

Citing media reports, Ren said that the spending on government cars, reception and tours abroad he mentioned amounted to 300 billion yuan, 200 billion yuan and 250 billion yuan (US$36.1 billion, US$24.1 billion and US$30.1 billion) respectively each year, while "most of the funds were used by leading cadres at various levels".

There are now as many as 45.72 million people on the payrolls of the central and local governments in China, plus some 5 million more who are supporting themselves with the administrative power granted by the government, estimated Ren, who is from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

"The contingent of bureaucrats in China is expanding at an unprecedented speed, which is a quite worrisome phenomenon," said Ren, adding that the current 1:26 official-versus-commoner ratio is 306 times higher than in the Western Han Dynasty period (206 B.C.- 24 A.D.) and 35 times higher than at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911).

"Just 10 years ago, the ratio was also kept at a 1:40 level," Ren noted.

The rapid expansion of bureaucracy has not only led to an oversized government and a huge waste of money, but also become a hotbed for corruption, with cases like abuse of power and selling official ranks occurring from time to time, said Ren.

"Therefore, it is imperative to launch another round of government streamlining focusing on cutting the number of leading officials," suggested Ren.

(Xinhua News Agency March 7, 2005)