A circular released to governments at all levels says the move is designed to improve the style of work of the government and the Party.

The circular was jointly released by the general offices of the State Council and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

To cut down on unessential meetings, ceremonial activities and paper work will also save a lot of time for government leaders and other officials to go deep into the grassroots for investigations and for solving real issues.

The circular stipulates that video conferences should be encouraged to reduce the number of face-to-face meetings, saving both time and money.

It says that efforts should be made to give full play to modern office facilities in a bid to reduce the amount of paper work.

Government departments at all levels should be more budget-minded when preparing meetings, and efforts should be made to avoid overspending and meeting in scenic places, the circular says.

(People's Daily January 21, 2002)