BEIJING — The leading Party members group of the State Council held a meeting on Jan 13 to study the important speech given by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, at the fourth plenary session of the 19th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC.

The meeting was presided over by Premier Li Keqiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the State Council's leading Party members group.

Stressing the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, the meeting called for better implementation of major decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee.

The meeting urged transforming the government's functions by deepening reforms that streamline administration, delegate power, improve regulations and upgrade services, noting that checks on and oversight over the exercise of power should be strengthened.

The meeting also stressed reducing government expenditures, cutting taxes and acting against bureaucratism and the practice of formalities for formalities' sake.

More efforts should be made to improve Party conduct and build a clean government, the meeting said, adding that a State Council meeting will be held this year to make arrangements on clean governance and anti-corruption work in the government system.

Senior officials including Han Zheng, Sun Chunlan, Hu Chunhua, Wang Yong, Xiao Jie, and Zhao Kezhi attended the meeting.