Applicants for the national-level civil servant exam wait outside the test site at Nanjing Forestry University in Jiangsu province in this Nov 24, 2013 file photo. [Photo/IC]

Promotion is no longer the only way up for civil servants. A recent official document shows that low-ranking officials who have worked for a certain time without being promoted - eight years for the lowest level - can enjoy salary of a higher level. Comments:

The new measure will enable civil servants who serve at the grassroots level for life to get higher salaries. But higher incomes for them mean a heavier burden for the State and more spending of taxpayers' money. Shouldn't the government have got the approval of the top legislature before issuing such a document?

hsw.cn, Feb 3

The old system, under which a civil servant's salary was mainly decided by rank, was unfair on officials who slogged it out in lower positions. Although the new document is aimed at solving this problem, too many civil servants sit idle without doing any work. Will it still be fair if such officials also get higher salaries after eight years? A comprehensive evaluation system is needed to decide which category of civil servants should get higher salaries.

Beijing News, Feb 3

Reports show the document has been welcomed by civil servants but opposed by ordinary workers, reflecting people's discontent with the bureaucracy. Civil servants hold stable positions and they never have to worry about the future. While raising civil servants' salaries, the authorities should also introduce a mechanism to evaluate their performance fairly and regularly and dismiss those whose performance is not up to the mark.

China Youth Daily, Feb 3

Analysts say the new rule is to appease civil servants who are unhappy with the heavy competition they face in getting a promotion. But such competition exists in every profession. Civil servants, it seems, are dissatisfied with the inequality in the competition, like corruption and family background deciding the fate of an official, rather than the competition per se. The right measure would be to make promotion fairer.

Beijing Youth Daily, Feb 3