China's Red Tape Files Hit the Newsstands

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 16, 2002

China's Red Tape Files Hit the Newsstands

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People in this capital of the eastern Anhui province are no longer surprised to see Provincial Government statements amid newspapers, journals and magazines covered with film stars and beauties on newsstands.

The latest issue of the "red tape files" costing five yuan (about 60 US cents) consists of 15 articles of government documents,including two issued by the State Council, 10 provincial regulations and circulars and three other provincial departmental documents.

A real estate businessman, surnamed as Li, expressed his contents and satisfaction at getting the latest statement. He said the issue that published measures of tearing down urban buildings was critical for private real estate firms like his.

He said he and others in his industry used to have to wait for a long long time for access to such documents.

According to an official with the provincial government, the bimonthly communique is also available for subscription and on the Internet.

Zhu Wengen, deputy director of Anhui Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, hailed the easy public access to government filesas an indication of improved Chinese democracy. "In the past, reading red tap files symbolized the exercise of personal power," he said.

Anhui is not the first region to open its once secret files to the public. Beijing Youth Daily reported that in Beijing the number of personal subscriptions to such communiques has exceeded 500.

In Shanghai, China's booming industrial and business center, more than 10,000 copies of such communiques are free of charge at newsstands on the fifth and 20th every month.

Meanwhile, the Anhui Provincial Archive is open to the public for reading such files free of charge.

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