Chinese Foreign Ministry Opens to Public for First Time

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, September 07, 2003

Chinese Foreign Ministry Opens to Public for First Time

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"Welcome to the Foreign Ministry", said Vice-Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo and other ranking officials as they stood at the entrance to the olive-shaped receiving hall of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and welcomed a group of visitors on Saturday.

"It is the first time the Foreign Ministry has opened to the public over the past half century since the founding of new China in 1949, and you are the first group of visitors to come here," Dai told the 35 visitors, who were selected from among hundreds of participants in the ministry's online forum.

Dai said that as foreign affairs have become increasingly closer to common people's lives, getting the public's support has been of vital importance for the ministry. He expressed the hope that such activities will help increase the mutual understanding of the public and the ministry.

Coming from different places in China, the 35 visitors are all interested in China's diplomatic work, often participating in Internet discussions on some hot international issues as well as on China's foreign affairs.

The first stop for the visit was the press hall, which, as the ministry's front-line, is usually opened only to the major foreignand Chinese media for briefings and statements on China's foreign policies.

With no tie but a light and relaxed smile, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kong Quan, also the director general of the Information Department of the Foreign Ministry, escorted the group into the press hall.

Kong took a photo with Xia Yang, a doctor from the Yuquan Hospital of prestigious Qinghua (Tsinghua) University in Beijing and told him that he once read the message Xia left on the ForeignMinistry's Internet site before Xia joined a medical team to battle against the disease of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

When he was told Tu Kelin, a software designer from Xiamen city,in east China's Fujian province, came the furthest of the group, Kong told him that "although we haven't met each other before, I have known you for a long time on the Internet."

Among the 35 visitors, the youngest was a 17-year old senior middle school student, He Xin, from the ancient capital of Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi province. Showing great interest in China's diplomacy since his junior middle school days, He has continued to publish his views on the ministry's Internet forum for years.

He said he was pleased to come to Beijing and visit the ForeignMinistry and he hoped to enter the China Foreign Affairs College in Beijing and learn to become an excellent diplomat.

Besides the press hall, the visitors also toured the exhibitionhall of China's diplomatic history, the ministry's dining hall andthe hall for issuing passports and visas. At the end, all visitorsreturned to the olive hall and communicated their ideas with ministry officials.

Tu Kelin acknowledged that opening the ministry to the public is an indication of increasing the Chinese government's transparency, and the visit has also strengthened his commitment to show concern and support for the country's diplomatic affairs.

Though this was the ministry's first ever opening to the public,noted Vice-Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo, it would not be the last one. More opportunities will be offered in the future to help improve the understanding between the public and the ministry, he said, and the Foreign Ministry is ready to receive more constructive proposals and suggestions about China's diplomatic development.

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