The Fourth Plenum of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has drawn a blueprint for the rule of law, in which the delegation of power shall be a first step. By cutting unnecessary administrative procedures and delegating certain powers to lower departments, it will better regulate the once powerful government agencies and prevent them from renting out the power in hand.

xinhuanet.com, Nov 6

Simplifying procedures does not mean the government will give up everything; while taking its hands off those fields where the market and society can regulate themselves, the government must be loyal to those areas that are its duty such as defending justice and maintaining social order. A typical example is that some officials turn a blind eye to pollution, claiming that's no longer within their range of responsibilities; such dereliction of duty should be punished.