The Telegraph (October 10) reported that according to Chinese news reports the Beijing
Government Service Administrative Bureau issued an edict titled "Ability Specification for
Government Service General Counter Staff", aimed at any government staff in the Chinese
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capital who deal with the public, including day-to-day bureaucracy like handling requests for
driving licences and birth certificates. This followed acceptance at a high level that some
frontline government staff have a "crude, disrespectful and perfunctory attitude" and, according
to the Chinese media, changing that will "optimise China's business environment" and
"improve public confidence in government services." The edict is still a draft proposal, and the
Beijing public is being given the chance to comment until October 26, on the website of the
Beijing Municipal Administration for Market Regulation. Government staff will thereafter
receive the final list of what they can and cannot say.
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