For Zhao Qizheng, 2008 will be remembered as the year when China made a mark in "public diplomacy".

That is because, last year, the government disseminated timely and accurate information to the public on such major events as the Beijing Olympics, the destructive snowstorms and the devastating May 12 earthquake, Zhao told China Daily yesterday.

This helped in boosting the government's standing among its citizens, Zhao, who used to head the State Council Information Office, said.

"The achievements of 2008 (in terms of public diplomacy) exceeded whatever the country had achieved over the last two decades," the 69-year-old Zhao said.

Zhao hopes to apply the same formula of transparency in his new role as the spokesman for the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

One of his top priorities, Zhao said, would be to act as a better bridge between the CPPCC and and journalists. The country's top two political agencies, CPPCC and the National People's Congress, are gearing up for their annual sessions next week.

And, for that, this scientist-turned-politician has done his homework well. He is reading up on all issues of current concern, including on how to cope with the global financial crisis and issues related to social security. "I am researching and learning all about the CPPCC," he said.

"Because I am not authorized to speak about government matters, I will frequently preface my statements with phrases like 'in my opinion' and 'according to my own understanding'," he pointed out.

And, if he does not know the answer to any questions, "I would say I do not possess the information currently, but nevertheless tell them what the government's stance is," he said.

It is exactly this attitude, of being factual and realistic, that will help improve the country's image, said Zhao, now the dean of the Journalism School at Renmin University of China. "We should talk to the public. We should have more spokesmen," he said.

A long-time advocate of strengthening the country's public diplomacy processes, Zhao said it was necessary to focus on improving communication skills in order to boost China's image abroad.

"It is not about money," said Zhao. "The media's role is in accordance with the country's power."

The image of Chinese media is also partly due to its education system, Zhao said.

"Only 6 percent of people aged over 25 years are college educated," Zhao said. "In developed countries, the figure is about 40 to 50 percent."

(China Daily February 28, 2009)