BEIJING, March 10 (UPI) -- China plans to overhaul its maligned railway system as part of a larger government overhaul aimed at reducing inefficiency and corruption, officials said.
The Chinese Railway Ministry had long been a problem because it was tasked with both administering the nation's rails and providing oversight on the industry it was running. Under a new setup, the ministry's functions will be subdivided so oversight is done by a different department, officials told China's state-run Xinhua News Agency.
The larger government reforms, which will see 27 government ministries reduced to 25, will target duplication of services and seek to empower agencies currently tasked with certain jobs but not granted the resources or access to carry out their duties.
"Some departments have more power than necessary, while in some aspects of governance, they are not in a position to act," State Councilor Ma Kai said.
He said government has established a successful framework for the nation's economy, but "still has notable shortcomings."
