Introducing A Real China To The World In A More Open Manner

Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media,

Good morning!

In just two days, we will be bidding farewell to 2008 and welcoming 2009. On behalf of the State Council Information Office, I’d like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to friends from both the Chinese and foreign media organizations for your coverage of China and your support for the SCIO over the past year.

For China and the Chinese people, 2008 was an extraordinary year. We successfully held the Beijing Olympics. We accomplished the Shenzhou 7 manned space mission. In this year, snowstorms and blizzards, the worst in 50 or even 100 years, caused severe economic losses in some areas in southern China. A powerful earthquake rarely seen in history jolted Sichuan Province, inflicting severe casualties and huge losses. Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese Government, the Chinese people, united as one, succeeded in conquering the snowstorms and the devastating earthquake, displaying a fearless and indomitable spirit. Also in this year, we properly handled various emergencies, especially the impact of the international financial crisis on the Chinese economy, and ensured stable and rapid economic development and social stability and solidarity.

Over the past year, the SCIO has made great efforts to organize press conferences and to provide interview services to journalists. We have been actively engaged in cultural exchanges with foreign countries, as well as communication and cooperation with foreign media organizations. We have promoted the healthy development of the Internet. All these aim to present a real and changing China to the world.

I. Through more frequent government news release, the SCIO has provided the Chinese and foreign media with timely and accurate information on economic and social development and on major emergency events.

The SCIO held 83 press conferences in 2008, more than in any previous year. The departments of the Central Government and the CPC Central committee held 521 press conferences. The information offices of the governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities held 983 press conferences. Added together, the figures total 1,587, much larger than the number in any previous year. And they do not include the more than 300 media briefings held at the press centers during the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics.

The SCIO held 20 press conferences on the Wenchuan earthquake in 18 days consecutively since May 13; one day after the quake shook the country. releasing a large amount of authentic information. What we did won full recognition and widespread approval from the general public at home and abroad, including the media. The SCIO has recently held eight press conferences on the measures China has taken to address the global financial crisis, to further expand domestic demand and to promote stable and rapid economic development.

With our frequent, timely and authentic news briefings in the past year, we have addressed the concerns of the general public at home and abroad, honored the public’s right to information and provided convenience for journalists to report China more objectively and accurately. The improved government news release service and the spokesperson system has played an important role in implementing the Regulations on the Disclosure of Government Information, in promoting openness in government affairs, in information transparency, and in fostering the image of an open China.

I have to mention in particular the establishment of a news briefing and spokesperson system by the Ministry of National Defense. The spokesman of the Ministry of National Defense made his debut at an SCIO press conference on May 18, which drew immense attention and won full recognition from the international community. To date, the Ministry of National Defense has held a number of news briefings. On December 23, it held a press conference on China’s deployment of naval forces to the Gulf of Aden and Somalia waters on an escort mission. Both Chinese and foreign media gave a timely and detailed coverage of the press conference.

II. The SCIO has compiled and published government white papers to present China’s policies and positions on major issues to the international community in a comprehensive, systematic and authentic manner.

In 2008, the SCIO published four white papers on major issues of concern to the international community—China’s Efforts and Achievements in Promoting the Rule of Law, Status Quo of Drug Supervision in China, China’s Policies and Actions for Addressing Climate Change and Protection and Development of Tibetan Culture. We have published 59 white papers since 1991. These documents not only have clarified the Chinese Government’s policies and positions on major issues but also have highlighted the changes and progress in various fields in China. They have presented China’s remarkable changes and developments to the outside world with facts, figures and analyses, evoking significant and positive responses at home and abroad.

III. The SCIO has made interview arrangements for foreign journalists, and has boosted exchanges and cooperation with press offices of foreign governments and foreign media.

The year 2008 has seen a record high number of foreign journalists coming to China. During the Beijing Olympic Games, more than 30,000 foreign journalists were reporting in China.

In this year, the SCIO has put media service as a priority, and has made great efforts to provide timely and authentic information, interview itineraries, clues and other conveniences for journalists reporting on China.

In particular, to better serve the large number of journalists during the Olympic Games, we worked with relevant departments of the central and local governments in preparing interview materials. Through massive personnel training, we improved over 400,000 people’s awareness and ability of serving the media. During the Beijing Olympic Games, 24-hour hotline service was opened at our initiative in the spokesperson’s offices of major departments under the central government and in the information offices of the people’s government of various provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities).

In the wake of major emergencies, such as the snowstorms and blizzards in southern China earlier this year, the "March.14" Riot in Lhasa and the Sichuan earthquake, our office, together with other relevant departments of the central and local governments, timely organized and assisted Chinese and foreign journalists to conduct on-site news coverage.

On May 15, three days after the Sichuan earthquake, we started to organize reporting tours for Chinese and foreign journalists to the stricken areas. It was estimated that during the earthquake relief period, Sichuan Province received over 800 foreign journalists.

Recently, foreign media have shown keen interest in the celebration of the 30th anniversary of reform and opening up in China. We have organized Chinese and foreign journalists to visit places such as Shenzhen, Pudong of Shanghai City, Binhai New Area of Tianjin City, Wenzhou of Zhejiang Province, and Xiaogang Village of Anhui Province. We have provided convenience for journalists to produce in-depth, accurate and objective news stories.

This year, cooperation and exchanges between the Chinese and foreign media is more active. Our office and the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States (LAS) jointly hosted the "China-Arab Media Cooperation Forum" themed "strengthening media cooperation and promoting China-Arab friendship". The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on friendly media cooperation.

Our office and the Ministry of Communications and Information of Indonesia jointly hosted the Conference of China-ASEAN Information Ministers during which the participating members signed the China-ASEAN MOU on Information and Media Cooperation and ratified the Nanning Co-Chairs’ Statement for the Meeting of China-ASEAN Information Ministers.

Our office also hosted the fifth press seminar for African officials and received the third high-level media delegation from Latin American countries. We also supported Heilongjiang Province in hosting the Sino-Russia Media Forum. We have continuously pushed forward exchanges and cooperation between government information departments in China and their foreign counterparts, as well as between Chinese media and foreign media.

In the context of Beijing Olympic Games and Beijing Paralympic Games, we invited top executives of major media in the world to visit China and to attend the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games; we invited journalists from developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America to come to China to cover the sports events; in the meanwhile, major national media organizations in China further boosted exchanges and cooperation with media in foreign countries.

All these initiatives have reinforced exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign media, promoted their friendship, and deepened the understanding between China and the world.

IV. The SCIO has sponsored books, movies, videos, and cultural activities to introduce China and the Chinese culture to the world.

Our office staged a large cultural exchange activity titled "Understand China-Central Europe Tour" in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, which enabled the peoples in the three countries to gain a better understanding of China.

During the Olympic Games, our office produced more than 50,000 copies of over 1200 publications in 19 languages, which were displayed and distributed at the Beijing International Media Center and the Main Press Center. These publications gave foreign journalists easy access to information on China.

In cooperation with relevant organizations, our office also hosted a photo exhibition titled "enduring memory-disaster relief pictures of international rescue teams and medical teams", a featured exhibition comparing Tibet’s present and past, and an exhibition reviewing the 30 years of reform and opening up in China.

V. The SCIO has continued to push forward the sound development of Internet, and strengthen international exchanges and cooperation in the IT field.

In this year, China’s Internet has continued its fast growth. As of the end of November 2008, the number of netizens in China reached 290 million, ranking the top of the world. There were more than 2.1 million websites and more than 100 million blogs in the country.

All these convincingly demonstrate that China has achieved positive results in actively promoting the development of Internet. Our office has proactively engaged in international exchanges and cooperation in the development of Internet. In the meanwhile, we have effectively investigated and cracked down illegal online activities according to the law, and provided a healthy cyberspace for netizens, especially teenagers. As a new media, Internet is playing a more and more important role in China.

The year 2009 will mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It will be a year that we will confront dismal world economic situation. It also will be an important year for us to step up the implementation of the 11th Five-Year Plan.

In the coming year, the State Council Information Office will continue to stick to the opening up policy. We will take a more open stance, actively promote exchanges and cooptation between China and the world, and comprehensively, timely and accurately introduce China’s social and economic developments to the world.

We welcome more foreign journalists to come and report on China, and we would like to continue to provide better service to Chinese and foreign media.

Now, I would like to answer your questions.