China issued new criteria for selecting Party and government officials through examinations Thursday.

The examinations focus on officials' ability to deal with problems they will come across at their future posts, said a spokesman from the Organization Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Party's human resources organ.

The new criteria replace the temporary version issued in 2000.

Applicants for Party or government official posts take exams covering general and specialized knowledge and are interviewed by the government's personnel department and the Party's organization department.

The new criteria introduce updated methods of evaluation for interviews and new content for examinations. For the first time, they clarify the main qualities of an official, the spokesman said.

The exam on general knowledge will test the applicants' academic achievement, general understanding of public affairs, policies, laws, government regulations and methods of administration. It will also include questions on the Three Represents concept, as well as the latest Party and government policies and the Constitutional amendments.

The applicant must also have a good understanding of the specialty in which he or she will work and related laws and regulations.

Through the interview, applicants will demonstrate their ability to express themselves and communicate with others, as well as their personality, flexibility, creativity and decision-making skills.

The criteria list 784 items that candidates for Party or government posts should know and upon which they will be tested through exams and interviews. This is an increase of 178 items from the temporary version.

A national database and some qualified provincial databases are available for preparing examination papers, said the spokesman.

Examinations and interviews are considered useful ways to improve transparency and reduce a small number of corrupt practices.

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2004)