The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has instructed CPC local branches to be more open in Party affairs.

Members of the 25-strong Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee at a meeting Friday discussed and adopted a document that stressed the importance of openness in Party affairs, said a statement issued after the meeting.

The meeting was presided over by CPC Central Committee General Secretary Hu Jintao.

Publicizing Party affairs was a requirement for implementing the Scientific Outlook on Development, improving the Party's governance capabilities, as well as maintaining and developing the Party's vanguard nature, said the statement.

It was also necessary for expanding grassroots democracy within the Party, safeguarding the democratic rights of Party members, and increasing the vitality of Party grassroots organizations, said the statement.

Openness at Party grassroots organizations was also an important measure to strengthen supervision within the Party, to regulate authority and to build clean and honest grassroots Party organizations, the meeting was told.

The statement said efforts should be made to safeguard Party members' rights to know, to participate, to elect, to express and to supervise, so as to enhance their participation in Party affairs.

It was also necessary to expand channels for them to express opinions and to build a favorable environment for democratic discussion and supervision in the Party, the statement said.