China will cut the number of positions in central government departments by 5% in the biggest administrative shakeup in decades, as President Xi Jinping presses forward with his efforts to streamline the bureaucracy. The jobs will be redistributed in strategically important areas, according to a government reform plan unveiled at the annual National People’s Congress meeting Tuesday. As part of the revamp, China plans to restructure its Ministry of Science and Technology. The objective is to “move faster toward greater self-reliance in science and technology,” the official Xinhua News Agency said.
