China improves spokesperson system to enhance right to know: report

China has improved the government news release system and the spokesperson system in the past two years to enhance people's right to know, says a report released on Thursday by China's State Council Information Office (SCIO).

Titled Assessment Report on the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010), the report says all ministries, commissions and departments, and provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government held a total of 3,522 press conferences in the past two years.

The spokesperson systems for committees of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and for governments at county level have been established, according to the report.

In 2010, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee promulgated the Opinions on Establishing the Spokesperson System for Party Committees to vigorously promote the establishment of the spokesperson system.

According to the report, at present, 13 departments and units of the Party Central Committee and Party committees of 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps have established the spokesperson system.

"The news release work of Party committees is becoming institutionalized and standardized," the report says.

In April 2009, the SCIO published the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010). It is China's first national plan on the theme of human rights.

The 56-page report made an overall assessment of the implementation of the Action Plan. It also specified China's efforts on implementing the plan to safeguarding people's economic, social and cultural rights, people's civil and political rights, as well as promoting the cause of human rights in other spheres.

Source: Xinhua

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