China to improve government information sharing

BEIJING, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- China will further improve the sharing and disclosure of government information to provide more efficient services to the public, the State Council said Wednesday.

"The government will work to put public data and government information into a national data sharing and exchange platform that will be open to the public in accordance with laws and rules," said a statement released after an executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang.

Efforts will be made to ensure information sharing between government departments to improve work efficiency, with the State Council opening 40 information systems to governments at all levels to share data and information of 500 items by the end of the year.

"China will improve laws and regulations related with information sharing while boosting protection over information sharing websites and platforms to ensure the security of the information," it said.

This is part of government efforts to streamline administration to unleash economic vitality and offer easier and faster services.

The statement stressed information disclosure and transparency in public resource allocation, and identified a number of key areas such as affordable housing, government procurement and transaction of state-owned properties.

Participants in the meeting were briefed on this year's national science and technology awards, and called for further reforms in the incentive system to encourage innovation in science. Enditem