The State Council Information Office (SCIO) will double its
efforts to provide better and more convenient service for
journalists covering China in the coming year.
Zhao Qizheng, minister of the SCIO, made the resolution at an
early New Year reception on Friday night in Beijing.
More than 300 people from domestic and overseas media
organizations, diplomatic missions, ministries and commissions
under the central government and commercial firms took part in the
reception hosted by the SCIO.
Zhao took the opportunity to thank friends from various circles
for their understanding, support and cooperation, especially those
journalists who have been consistent in their focus on China.
They have made efforts to introduce China to the rest of the
world in a timely, objective and thorough way, he told the
reception.
The year has been the SCIO's busiest since the establishment of
the government news briefing mechanism, with 58 press
conferences.
A total of 62 departments under the State Council and 20
provincial governments have appointed spokespersons across
China.
In the past year, the SCIO published four white papers and
improved training of 2,000 spokespersons at various levels of
government.
Large-scale cultural events overseas to introduce China which
has progressed significantly in all fields in the last 12 months to
the rest of the world, have also been organized by the SCIO, added
Zhao.
(China Daily December 18, 2004)