Bringing policy to the people

两会新闻发言人向世界诠释中国声音

If you pay attention to the two sessions, you will notice that both the National People's Congress (NPC） and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) have a spokesperson.

如果你关注两会，你会发现全国人民代表大会和中国人民政治协商会议都设有新闻发言人。

This year, Guo Weimin, vice-minister of the Information Office of the State Council, is the spokesman for the second session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee. Zhang Yesui, former vice-foreign minister, is the spokesman for the second session of China's 13th NPC.

今年，由国务院新闻办公室副主任郭卫民担任全国政协十三届二次会议发言人，前外交部副部长张业遂担任十三届全国人大二次会议发言人。

Since China officially started the spokesperson system in 1983, 15 spokespersons of the CPPCC National Committee and eight spokespersons of NPC have spoken to the press, according to China Today.

据《今日中国》报道，自1983年，我国首设新闻发言人制度以来，全国人大和全国政协会议分别有15位和8位发言人向媒体发言。

The spokesperson system is a window that can open at any time to make government affairs public and to inform the press and the public, according to the official website of the Communication University of China (CUC).

据中国传媒大学官网，新闻发言人是政务公开和媒体公众获取信息的一扇随时开放的窗口。

The public, when dealing with large amounts of information, needs an official voice to tell them the truth and stop rumors from spreading, according to People's Daily.

《人民日报》认为，在面对大量信息时，公众需要一个官方声音告知真相，停止谣言传播。

For Wang Guoqing, spokesman for the first session of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC, the spokesperson system is also important for telling China's stories.

对于全国政协十三届一次会议新闻发言人王国庆而言，发言人制度对于讲述中国故事也很重要。

"As a spokesperson of the CPPCC National Committee, I speak not only to the Chinese press and public, but also to the world. I expect that I will be able to help you learn about the true China through answering questions," said Wang, according to the official website of the CUC.

据中国传媒大学官网，王国庆曾表示：“作为政协新闻发言人，我不仅是面向中国媒体、中国公众发言，也是向世界讲述中国故事，希望通过与记者的问答，讲出一个真实的中国。”

Apart from the spokesperson system, China has other measures to improve the way that the government and citizens talk, such as electronic governance. It's about using internet technologies for conversations between the government and citizens, and making social services more available and transparent.

除了发言人制度之外，我国也采取了其他措施促进政府与民众的交流，如电子政务等。电子政务指的是政府和公民运用互联网技术进行对话，从而提供了更便利、更透明的社会服务。

For example, the State Council introduced its Chinese-language mobile app in 2016. It publicizes major decisions by the State Council and policy documents, and serves as a channel for the government and the public to talk.

例如国务院于2016年推出了国务院中文手机客户端。该客户端公布国务院所做的重大决定以及政策文件，成为政府和公众交流的渠道。

"Using online tools to facilitate public services is an important step to accelerate governance reform," Fang Zhenbang, Renmin University professor of public administration and policy, told China Daily.

“运用网络工具来促进公共服务是加速行政改革的重要一步，”人民大学公共管理与政策教授方振邦在接受《中国日报》采访时表示。