Information minister urges better use of gov't blogs

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The government should make a better use of microblogs to offer information and increase transparency, said Wang Chen, minister of the State Council Information Office, at a press conference on January 18, 2012.

Wang Chen, minister of the State Council Information Office, talks to reporters at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

Government agencies should open microblog accounts to better understand public opinion and to respond to issues of public concern, Wang said.

Government agencies and Party departments at all levels have opened more than 50,000 microblog accounts, and many of them help officials communicate with the public.

China had nearly 250 million microbloggers last year, four times as many as in 2010. The online population of the country has reached 513 million.

With the growing popularity of microblogs, regulations, such as registration, are needed to ensure the rapid and healthy growth of the Internet, Wang said.

Last month, Beijing introduced a policy that required microblog users to register "backstage" with their real name. This means that website administrators will see their names instead of Internet users. The policy was later extended to other major cities, including Shanghai and Guangzhou.

China established the State Internet Information Office in May last year to oversee cyberspace. The office, headed by Wang, aims to coordinate and supervise online content as well as investigate and punish websites violating laws and regulations.

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