The two regulations, one on digital signatures and one on information publicity, will be reviewed by the State Council by the end of this year, said Yang Xueshan, director-general of the Department of Policy and Planning at the office, the highest government organization responsible for the popularization of information technology in government, enterprises and society.

The digital signature regulation will lay a basis for the online approval between government departments, while the government information publicity regulation will require government departments to publicize their contact information and regulations on the Web and give free access to the public.

Yang revealed on the sidelines of the E-Government China 2002 Expo in Beijing yesterday that the Chinese Government is also formulating guidelines on the implementation of e-government channels in six volumes.

He said the first volume has already been published and the second and third are due out soon.

"We must finish the basic requirements for the construction of e-government websites, such as the formulation of relevant laws and regulations, standards and security systems," Yang said at the opening of the four-day exhibition.

He also called on governments at different levels to put more emphasis on the improvement of government efficiency rather than on building their own online platforms.

He said that government departments should also build their platforms in accordance with their demands instead of solely providing a fast and broad network and fast-speed computers.

In the first half of this year, procurements of computer hardware by government departments reached 10.7 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion), but spending on software was only 2.1 billion yuan (US$254 million).

More than 70 percent of governments above the prefecture level have opened online channels or websites to communicate with the public. Government websites reached 3,000 in the past three years.

The E-Government China 2002 Expo -- the biggest exhibition on e-government held by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the China Association for Science and Technology -- will end on Friday.

(China Daily December 11, 2002)