--- Notes

Comments on the “Opinions of the CPC Central Committee on Appropriately Expanding the Powers of Certain Special Administrative Offices [1]” (March 22, 1958) To Qiaomu [2]: Please handle this matter. On the second document, a provision concerning the counties has been added; please discuss it with Shao Qi and Xiaoping [3] and make a decision accordingly. Mao Zedong, March 22. Printed from the manuscript. Notes [1] The “Opinions of the CPC Central Committee on Appropriately Expanding the Powers of Certain Special Administrative Offices” were adopted at the Chengdu Conference on February 21, 1958. Its main contents are as follows: 1. In order to meet the demands of the Great Leap Forward in agriculture, local industry, and cultural and educational undertakings, and in accordance with the Central Committee’s spirit of reforming the administrative management system, the powers of special administrative offices may be appropriately expanded in certain provinces and autonomous regions. Establish a special zone-level fiscal system. The special administrative office may make necessary adjustments to the implementation of the fiscal budgets of the counties and cities under its jurisdiction. Enterprises, institutions, and secondary schools previously entrusted by the province to the special administrative office for management shall be placed directly under its administration. 4. Based on the needs of developing local industry and scientific and cultural undertakings, enterprises suitable for special zone-level management may be established, along with secondary technical schools and research institutions for industry and agriculture. The national economic plan and the material allocation plan within the special zone shall be compiled and summarized by the special administrative office. 6. Within the total staffing quota controlled by the province, the special administrative office may make necessary adjustments among different areas and departments regarding personnel assignments within the special zone. 2. To facilitate mutual support and joint development between industry and agriculture, each special zone should have one industrial city serving as an economic, political, and cultural center. III.


Regardless of whether their powers are expanded, special administrative offices remain executive organs dispatched by the provincial people’s committees and are not a separate level of government. IV. The establishment or abolition of special zones, as well as any changes to the administrative divisions of special administrative offices, shall be decided independently by the provincial party committees or the party committees of autonomous regions in light of local conditions, after which the provincial people’s committee shall submit the matter to the State Council for record. V. Whether and how the powers of special administrative offices should be expanded, whether and how their staffing should be increased accordingly, and the organizational structure of these offices, are all to be determined independently by the provincial party committees or the party committees of autonomous regions based on local conditions. These opinions were approved for issuance at the April 2, 1958 meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. [2] Qiaomu refers to Hu Qiaomu, who at that time served as an alternate member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and as Mao Zedong’s secretary. [3] Xiaoping refers to Deng Xiaoping, who at that time was General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council.