China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) on Saturday said its information office is under preparation and will start functioning at the "proper time".

The MND has been preparing for the establishment of a news briefing system, an information office, and details are under discussion, said the MND in a press release.

The information office will provide information on the country's national defense and military buildup for domestic and international media, said the press release.

China has widely applied the news briefing system to most central government departments and local governments since 2003. Twelve departments, including the Ministry of Commerce, the State Food and Drug Administration, and the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games, started holding press conferences on regular basis in 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2008)