Twenty-three provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government in China have established the news briefing system, and 20 of them have appointed spokespersons, says a white paper on China's human rights progress in 2004 issued by the Information Office of the State Council on Wednesday.

The paper says that Chinese citizens' freedom of information, of speech and of the press is protected by law.

At present, a three-level news briefing system consisting of the State Council's Information Office, and various departments of the State Council and provincial governments has basically been established, according to the paper.

Last year, 44 departments of the State Council gave some 270 news conferences, and 28 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government gave 460 news conferences.

These activities greatly increased the transparency of government work, and helped citizens become better informed about administrative affairs. Protection of citizens' rights to information, supervision and participation in public affairs were further promoted, says the paper.

In 2004, the state enacted a series of laws and regulations to further improve China's press system and ensure that citizens can better exercise their right of freedom of the press, says the paper.