BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- China has announced a new drive to phase out outdated rules.

The State Council, the country's cabinet, said on Tuesday that it will put all government rules and regulations since the founding of the New China under scrutiny.

A statement from the State Council said the new undertaking, which will take approximately three years, is crucial to cutting red tape and devolving power while improving regulation, and to building a law-based government.

In particular, authorities will focus on removing obsolete government regulations that now run counter to the Constitution and laws, impede deepening reform and opening up, and those that infringe on citizens' rights and interests.

The government should make sure that "anything the law does not authorize is not done, while all duties and functions assigned by law are performed", the statement said, adding that details of rules to be abolished will be made public and that the campaign will be based on "scientific evaluation", so as not to leave room for "regulation vacuums".