The Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee plans to improve transparency by appointing spokespersons to disseminate information, a senior Party official said yesterday.

"We have selected the candidate(s)," Ouyang Song, deputy minister of the department which is responsible for admitting cadres told a press briefing organized by the State Council Information Office.

Central government ministries and commissions as well as provincial governments have spokespersons as a result of the information office's push for better communication, but Party organizations have yet to adopt the practice.

The department, which now releases information on the promotion or dismissal of cadres through Xinhua News Agency, is also considering setting up a website, Ouyang said.

"A spokesperson system helps enhance the public's trust in the authorities," said Hu Guangyun, an associate professor with Tsinghua University's School of Public Policy and Management.

"We don't know how far the Organization Department will go with regard to transparency, but we've seen a positive gesture," Hu said.

At yesterday's news briefing, Ouyang admitted there have been some cases of unrest associated with a great number of farmers in rural areas, mainly because of farmland acquisition by local governments.

But he denied that these conflicts threaten overall social stability. "China is the world's most stable country. It shouldn't be strange that in a country so large, which is developing at such a pace, certain areas will experience mass incidents."

He noted that the Party and the government are taking measures to solve the problem.

The Party will continue to strengthen education and inculcate discipline among its members to fight corruption and curb abuse of power, said Ouyang.

The build-up of grassroots organizations has become a focal point of the Party's agenda; and Ouyang confirmed that 1.75 billion yuan (US$219 million) has recently been earmarked to build offices in nearly 100,000 villages.

The Party admitted 2.47 million members last year from about 17.67 million people who applied, said Ouyang.

He said that the number of Party members under the age of 35, and the number of applicants were all on the rise last year.

There were 70.8 million members by the end of last year.

(China Daily March 2, 2006)