More red tape, less progress: China’s cadres struggle to adopt ‘error tolerance’

Despite repeated directives from Beijing to ease the burden on local officials and curb formalism, many of China’s cadres remain trapped in a cycle of increased workload with diminished tangible results. A report by Banyuetan, a magazine affiliated with the state news agency Xinhua, outlined five symptoms of this "busier-but-emptier" phenomenon.

Beijing has consistently called for reducing bureaucratic demands and administrative excess to improve governance and foster high-quality development. However, interviews with officials reveal that many are still overwhelmed by paperwork and compliance requirements that divert time and energy away from achieving concrete outcomes. This bureaucratic inertia continues to drain officials' resources.

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busier-but-emptier

One frequently cited example of this issue is the prevalence of "scripted meetings," where discussions are predetermined and summaries are drafted before any actual dialogue takes place. This practice exemplifies how adherence to procedural formality often overshadows genuine problem-solving and efficient decision-making within the Chinese administrative system. President Xi Jinping has encouraged officials to innovate and take calculated risks, but the persistent formalism hinders such initiatives.

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scripted meetings