Chinese authorities have made an effort to reach out to Internet users by posting Lunar New Year greetings on the Web site of the state-run People's Daily.
Twenty-eight holiday greetings from 25 ministries and government departments were posted at people.com.cn, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Wednesday is the Lunar New Year, China's biggest holiday.
The ministries of education, public security, health, labor and social security were among those posting greetings and listing office telephone numbers, inviting people to contact them.
Comments posted on the Web site hailed the move as "creative and friendly" and called it "a bridge of mutual understanding, trust and support between the government and the public."
Government departments last year were required to appoint spokesmen to interact with the public and the press, in an effort to increase transparency. However, journalists complain that many official spokesmen are inefficient at best, and often evasive in responding to requests for information.
There are 94 million Internet users in China. The medium is frequently used by dissidents and people voicing complaints against the government.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
