— Wang Chen, Minister of the State Council Information Office

The State Council Information Office (SCIO) hosted its final press conference in 2010 on December 30, bringing the number of its conferences in 2010 to 66.

Departments of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council held 595 press conferences last year. The CPC committees and governments of China's provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities held 1,215 press conferences. All these brought the total number of press conferences held in China in 2010 to 1,876, an increase of 230 over the previous year. In other words, an average of five press conferences were held in China every day in 2010. This strongly indicates China is reaching out to the world increasingly openly.

At the December 30, 2010 conference, SCIO Minister Wang Chen, who also heads the International Communication Office of the CPC Central Committee, elaborated on SCIO progress in 2010.

His main points were:

–While releasing large amounts of accurate and timely information, the SCIO helped improve public information service systems. It called on CPC central departments and CPC committees of China's provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities to establish spokesperson systems, and during the year 13 departments, and committees of 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, plus the CPC Committee of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps appointed spokespersons. As well, local governments adopted related regulations, and the competence of spokespersons across the country continued to improve.

To date, nearly 90 Central Government agencies including State Council departments, the National People's Congress, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate have designated spokespersons, as well as the governments of 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Efforts of different regions and departments to release accurate and authentic information have played an important role in addressing concerns about China at home and abroad, clarifying China's positions, presenting its image of a responsible major power that is culturally advanced, open, democratic and progressive.

In the past five years, in particular, remarkable progress has been made in the Chinese Government's information services. As information service systems keep improving, they are making a greater impact. The government is also releasing information in increasingly diversified forms.

–The SCIO compiled and published government white papers to systematically clarify the Chinese Government's policies and positions on major issues to the world community. To address the world community's concerns on important issues in China, the SCIO published five white papers--The Internet in China, China-Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation, China's Efforts to Combat Corruption and Build a Clean Government, China's Human Resources, and Progress in China's Human Rights in 2009. They gave a comprehensive account of the country's progress and the Chinese Government's policies in these fields. To date, the Chinese Government has issued 68 white papers.

–The SCIO helped deepen exchange and contact between the Chinese Government's information offices and their foreign counterparts in order to promote cooperation between Chinese and foreign media organizations. It successfully hosted the second China-Arab press cooperation forum, the second conference for China-ASEAN information ministers, the first seminar for information ministers from developing countries, the seventh journalism workshop for African officials and the second China-South Korea high-level media dialogue. It invited the fifth Latin American senior media delegation to China. It also sent nearly 200 young Chinese media professionals to visit Japan. It launched "Experience China" cultural programs in Turkey and Geneva and a China Tibetan Culture Week in Spain. It co-hosted the fourth World Forum on China Studies. It continued to implement the "China Book International" program and the program of translating and publishing books on Chinese culture. More than 300 publishing projects were completed, and nearly 1,000 titles were published in different languages. These projects helped make Chinese books available to international readers.

–The SCIO helped create a healthy and orderly online environment while strengthening international exchange and cooperation in the Internet industry. By the end of November 2010, the number of Chinese Internet users had reached 450 million, an annual increase of 20.3 percent. Nearly 34 percent of the Chinese population has access to the Internet, higher than the world average of 30 percent. This fully testifies to a good environment for the development of the Internet in China. Based on the principles of "making good use of the Internet, developing it in a scientific way, administering it according to law and ensuring online safety," the SCIO strengthened efforts to influence public opinion on the Internet to create a healthy, orderly online environment.

The SCIO also promoted the development and prosperity of online culture, so the Internet can provide Chinese consumers with a wide range of cultural products and services. Calling on Internet users and website operators to observe ethics, the SCIO took measures to standardize the orderliness of online communication. It launched a campaign to eliminate pornographic and unhealthy information on the Internet and in cellphone media to ensure online safety. There was a notable improvement in the online cultural environment. Moreover, the SCIO further expanded international cooperation in the Internet sector. It held the fourth China-U.S. Internet Industry Forum and the third China-Britain Internet Roundtable.

–The SCIO elaborated on progress in China's human rights while carrying out extensive international human rights exchange and cooperation. It gave an in-depth account of China's efforts to promote and protect human rights. It supported the third Beijing Forum on Human Rights hosted by the China Society for Human Rights Studies. The National Human Rights Action Plan (2009-10) was well implemented in general. Tasks set in the action plan were largely fulfilled.

–The SCIO regulated foreign institutions' financial information services to ensure the sound development of the financial information services industry. In accordance with the Provisions on the Administration of Financial Information Services in China by Foreign Institutions, the SCIO has given approval to 25 foreign institutions to provide financial information services in China. Several of the world's largest financial information providers such as Reuters, Bloomberg and Dow Jones have been granted business licenses in China and are providing premium services to Chinese clients.

"While China's economy is currently in transition, Chinese society is full of vitality and change. We welcome journalists from all over the world to China to experience and cover its development and changes," Wang said. This is a positive gesture from China to the rest of the world.