Hotelier’s Daring Letter to Chinese Premier Hits Home

Standing in the way of greater entrepreneurship is China’s notorious red tape — a target of Mr Li’s for the past two years and one he has sounded increasingly frustrated about.

In April, Mr Li lambasted the country’s bureaucrats for policies that he called “ridiculous.” Mocking the difficulties of getting a permit, he said local officials were asking applicants to prove “your mother is your mother.”

He has rescinded the need for some central government approvals and called on departments to ax the number of administrative authorizations needed to start businesses.

Government officials cite figures that suggest progress. In 2014, the number of new companies in China grew nearly 46% to 3.65 million from a year earlier, according to state-run news agency Xinhua.

-- The Wall Street Journal