China issues timetable for govt info disclosure

BEIJING - The State Council, China's Cabinet, on Wednesday issued a timetable for disclosing government spending on receptions, vehicles and overseas trips, as well as information on investigations into major accidents.

According to the State Council's plan, provincial governments should disclose their spending on the three items starting from 2013, and municipal and county governments should strive to disclose such information by 2015.

Moreover, investigation reports on major accidents should be fully disclosed to the public starting from 2014.

The State Council identified nine categories of information as priorities in promoting government transparency, including information on administrative examinations and approvals; budgeting and government expenses on receptions, vehicles and overseas trips; subsidized housing; food and drug safety; environmental protection; production safety; pricing and charging; land appropriation and demolition; and public welfare institutions and enterprises, in particular, and the education sector.