Government authorities in Dehua County of east China's coastal province of Fujian have developed efficient new forms of direct contact between the government and local enterprises to solve problems in business operation -- breakfast meeting, on-the-spot meeting, tea party, etc.
The county, known as "World Ceramics Capital," is home to more than 4,000 ceramic companies, almost all of which are privately operated.
The new forms of direct government-business contact have served as an important platform for the businesses to give their suggestions and seek help from authorities.
"I have taken part in [such events] many times. In May this year, the Development and Reform Bureau hosted a symposium. I had just been granted the right to the use of a plot of land the year before last, but the boundary was occupied by village roads. So, I brought the problem [to the symposium]. The bureau attached great importance to it and assigned exclusive personnel to follow it up. The problem was solved in August. This time I also have a demand," said Xu Jianyong, manager of a ceramics company.
"The tea party is for us to talk freely, to say whatever we want to say. Normally, if we speak up about our problems at the event, the relevant authorities will come to us just the next day to learn about what has happened," said Qiu Zhenke, head of another ceramics company.
At one recent "tea party" hosted by the Development and Reform Bureau of Dehua County, business operators brought forward opinions ranging from labor demand, gas price, construction of new energy charging piles, to fund bonus policy. They even took advantage of the occasion to consult the government on relevant policies.
Although the "tea party" was scheduled to last only an hour and a half, the bureau extended the event to three hours to address the concerns of every participant.
"For the questions involving the jurisdiction of the Development and Reform Bureau, we would give replies one by one on the spot. For those involving the jurisdiction of other relevant departments, we would make a task list and refine and specify them. We would coordinate with the relevant departments to formulate solutions, and strive to reply to the entrepreneurs one by one within half a month," said Zhou Yiguo, director of the Development and Reform Bureau of Dehua County.
"Today's event is fruitful. First of all, it's very pragmatic, and second, it's very timely. And the officials have given us more efficient solutions," said Lin Xiaowa, manager of a local ceramics company.