Beijing city gov't share info on Weibo

The Beijing municipal government Thursday launched a news release platform on China's popular Twitter-like microblogging service, Weibo.com, on Thursday.

The platform called "Beijing Weibo Conference Hall" covers 21 departments under the Beijing municipal government, such as the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics.

Wang Hui, director of the information office of Beijing municipal government, said more municipal departments will join the online room by opening their Weibo accounts.

All departments involved will release latest policies or regulations through this platform, where the public can have an interaction with concerned spokespersons on various issues, she said.

Up to September, Sina, the Nasdaq-listed company that owns Weibo, said there were over 250 million accounts registered on Weibo. Chinese government officials are aware of how powerful social media can be, and have started to communicate using Weibo.

Some 9,960 government agencies and 8,628 public servants in China now post on their Weibo accounts, Sina said.

"I'm happy I can communicate directly with the government. And I hope my viewpoints and suggestions can get attention," said weibo user 1910060523.

Many, however, question the move. "Is it really the case that everything can be said here and the government will read the comments and give responses?" said another user.

Wang Hui said, "We are not just making a show. We shall be sincere to answer public's concerns over hot topics."