The improvement of the government news release system is an important and urgent task against the backdrop of economic globalization and Chinese economic development, said a senior Chinese official Tuesday at a training program for government spokespeople.

Zhao Qizheng, minister of the State Council Information Office, said the timely publication of information is not a privilege given to the people, but a due obligation and responsibility of the government.

The training program, already in its second stage, trained 100 spokespeople from 66 central government departments from Sept. 22 to 26 this year and continued to provide training for spokespeople from provincial-level governments in November.

The program, using case studies and practical exercises, invited senior government spokespeople and specialists from universities to give lectures on news releases, public relations and language skills.

Zhao said the improvement of the news release system is conducive to the publicity and transparency of government services and helps government build effective channels for connection with the public.

Although the Chinese government news release system was established in 1983, it was not mature enough to release all news in a timely fashion and journalists sometimes found it difficult to interview officials.

The government has realized that the timely release of major decisions, important events and breaking news helps to avoid undesirable public rumors, which sometimes trigger social unrest and chaos, experts say.

The outbreak of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) last spring helped improve the information releasing system in Guangdong Province, Beijing and Shanghai, Zhao said.

Currently almost all departments under the State Council have set up press spokesperson systems, and many provincial governments are establishing such systems.

(China Daily November 5, 2003)