1/ Has Smart Brevity Come to China?
2/ China is poised to tackle bureaucratic jargon with the same formula that the founders of Axios used to transform the news industry: Smart Brevity—saying more with less. axios.com/smart-brevity
3/ Catch up quick: According to a notice issued August 6 by China’s State Council, all departments and agencies must now “adhere to a ‘short, practical, concise’ writing style” in reports and directives. It is part of their “anti-bureaucratism” campaign, meant to reduce the burden on Party members and private enterprises.
4/ By the numbers: Departments must submit a written explanation if reports, meetings, and speeches exceed new caps:
- 5,000-characters (3,000-3,800 words) for documents
- Fewer publications than in the previous year
- 1 hour for speeches by Party and government officials
- 1.5 days for discussion-based meetings
- 5,000-characters (3,000-3,800 words) for documents
- Fewer publications than in the previous year
- 1 hour for speeches by Party and government officials
- 1.5 days for discussion-based meetings
5/ Why it matters: As the FT reports: “The order was the latest shot in Xi’s battle to curb fruitless activity in China’s vast bureaucracy and refocus officials’ efforts on strengthening the economy.” ft.com/content/373015…
6/ What to watch: Implementation. Smart Brevity is easy to prescribe but hard to practice. Setting an example? The government’s 21-point directive contained 4,845 characters.
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