Liaison offices representing regional governments have operated in the capital for decades, but their numbers have skyrocketed in recent years as part of sharpening competition for central government funding.
Now Beijing wants to close the Beijing offices of up to 10,000 county administrations, industrial zones, and local government departments over the next six months, according to the official magazine Outlook.
Washingon Post puts forward the opinion that the offices are widely considered a symbol of bloated bureaucracy and abuse of public resources, but are considered necessary because of China’s highly centralized decision-making process. Outlook said an order to close them was being drafted, but gave few other details.