Despite the aforementioned problems, it should be noted that governments at all levels have made relentless efforts over the past 35 years of reform and opening-up to explore and innovate ways of governance and have accumulated some experience. These mature governance reform initiatives should be taken as a reference and even incorporated into the State governance system.

Meanwhile, not only should local experience be given credit, China should continue to draw on the experiences of other countries, which is what it has been doing over the past decades with the introduction and implementation of public hearings for policymaking, one-stop public services, and government accountability, among other things.

China has undeniably made great strides in promoting democracy and the rule of law in recent decades, but the worship of power above everything still prevails in Chinese officialdom. Success in governance reform will be impossible without steadfast efforts being made to uproot power worship and place power in a cage of rules, as emphasized by the central leadership.

The country aims to achieve decisive outcomes in its reform push by 2020, but a comprehensive, scientific and effective governance mechanism will not come easy. Not only does it require steadfast determination and strong leadership, it also calls for broad-mindedness and superior political wisdom.

Its success lies in the wisdom of both the leadership and the people, the participation of both political elites and the general public. It presents a true test for the Party's capability of political motivation and entails strict adherence to the basic guideline of democratic, law-based and scientific governance.

The author is a professor and deputy director of the Central Compilation and Translation Bureau. This is an excerpt of his speech at a recent conference on reform staged by the bureau.

(China Daily 12/16/2013 page8)