The Chinese government will reform its news briefing system next
year, said a senior official with the State Council Information
Office (SCIO) on Tuesday.
The SCIO encourages more government departments to release news
independently, with four or five ministries expected to hold
regular press conferences next year, said Cai Wu, director of the
SCIO at an annual function.
Currently, departments such as the Ministry of Education, the
Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Public Security hold
routine weekly or monthly press conferences.
According to Cai, the SCIO will continue to present China's
economic and social growth and explain the Chinese government's
viewpoints and principles on key international issues to the
world.
2007 will witness the opening of the 17th national congress of
the Communist Party of China and further preparations for the
Beijing Olympic Games.
"The SCIO will continue to improve services to the media both at
home and abroad in 2007," Cai said, noting government press
conferences are a crucial means of "protecting the public's right
to know" and "guaranteeing the democracy of the Chinese political
system."
Around 300 diplomatic envoys, overseas media representatives,
Chinese officials and news spokespersons attended the function.
Muhammad Iftikhar Raja, press and cultural counselor with the
Pakistan Embassy to China, has only attended one press conference
given by the SCIO.
"The professionalism of the Chinese spokesman impressed me. With
China increasingly involved in the international community, regular
information briefings are essential," said the counselor.
Alexandre S. Isaev, Beijing bureau chief of ITAR-TASS, the
Russian news agency, suggested the SCIO give press conferences in
more foreign languages such as Russian.
"Because more and more Russian people want to hear China's
voice," Isaev said.
The SCIO sponsored 58 press conferences in 2005, the highest
number since the creation of the government news briefing
mechanism.
China's governmental news release system was initiated in 1983
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Statistics released by the
State Council Information Office show that over 70 central
government departments have established news release and
spokesperson systems.
(Xinhua News Agency December 20, 2006)
