Foreign journalists will have increased and wider access to
government departments and find it easier to cover emergencies,
China's top information officials said yesterday.
Apart from the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, which holds regular news conferences, more Chinese
ministries,?such as?public security, education and
health, will have their spokespersons briefing the media every
month in the new year, State Council Information Office Minister
Cai Wu said.?
The office is also pushing other powerful departments, like the
Ministry of Commerce
and the National Development and
Reform Commission, to come on board, Cai told a press meeting
yesterday.
"More and more departments have realized that closer interaction
with the media is a boost rather than a barrier to their work," Cai
said.
Sometimes, department leaders are busy, and sometimes they are
not accustomed to facing the media; through increased exposure and
push from journalists, more will offer to talk to the press, Cai
said.
"It can be expected that our media friends will soon have more
chances to have more and better exchanges with ministers and vice
ministers," he said.
The office yesterday updated contact information for
spokespersons at 69 State Council departments and announced a
round-the-clock office hotline: (8610)-65592311.
In addition to those departments, 27 provinces and
municipalities have also established their own news release
systems.
Commenting on the sometimes-slow information flow during
emergencies, the office's deputy chief Wang Guoqing said the State
Council attaches great importance to the handling of emergencies
and crises, and the response to the media in such situations.
The 40 training workshops offered to spokespersons from
provincial and central government departments this year included
emergency management and contingency plans.
"I believe (getting your) interviews will become more and more
convenient in the future," he said.
Wang also said China is revising a decade-old statute regarding
foreign journalists' operations in the country.
The State Council office arranged for dozens of officials from
ministries and commissions and from the Communist Party of China
Central Committee departments to give a record 68 press conferences
at the office hall this year.
Thanks to the office's efforts to build a three-tier information
release system at the office, State Council department and
provincial government levels, 1,088 press meetings have been held
so far this year, compared with about 900 last year, Cai said.
In response to foreign media's requests, the office has also
helped journalists to report from the scene on China's bird flu
control, intellectual property rights protection and anti-narcotics
drive, he said.
Government website
In another development, the central government will launch a new
English website: www.gov.cn, on New Year's day to offer
comprehensive information about every aspect of China. The
website's French, Spanish and Korean versions will be launched
later.
The English version provides information on travel, study,
employment, business, immigration, marriage and child adoption.
"We will have online interaction not only with Chinese, but also
foreigners," said an editor of the State Council's website.
(China Daily December 30, 2005)