China announced Monday it has declassified materials relevant to the death toll in natural disasters.

This change and many others before it indicate the government is serious about transparency.

There have been so many similar developments in recent years that people have begun to take them for granted. They include the establishment of a spokesmen system across the country, the reform to make public administrative decisions at the grass-roots level and then gradually upward through higher levels and the availability of road maps to go through administrative approval procedures on government websites.

If the situation now is compared with that ten years ago, it is clear "big changes" have taken place in terms of government transparency. The adjective "stunning" may be applied if the comparison is made between the present and twenty years ago.

These developments have formed an irrevocable trend or growing public participation in government aided by advances in technology.

The government has been increasingly promoting transparency to enhance efficiency and stem corruption.

The people in China, an increasing number of whose daily needs are being met, now exhibit more readiness to care for public affairs.

Modern information technology has greatly facilitated mass communication and reduced the leeway of deciding whether or when certain affairs should be publicized.

After steering China's economic and social development successfully and steadily over the years, it appears the government is now willing and capable of advancing transparency constantly and steadily.

In announcing the policy change Monday, a government official said that kind of information was classified confidential in view of the historical conditions the country faced in the past.

Some scholars hold the view that the democratic processes of a country are closely related with its phase of social and economic development and the governance capability of the government.

Source: Xinhua