Chinese authorities are increasingly refraining from using stereotypical slogans and wording when responding to public inquiries, demonstrating greater awareness of the importance of their interactions.

At a time when everyone's voice can be heard through the power of the Internet, the ways in which the government and the public are interacting have been more positive than ever before.

The ever-increasing awareness that the Chinese have of their rights has made it harder for the government to respond in a perfunctory manner, using hollow words. One-way communication is now a thing of the past, as it is no longer an effective way to inform the public in the era of social media.

The timely issuance of information has become more important for the government, as the public now takes transparency and openness as a measure of government officials' ability to govern.

One example is the declining use of the phrase "the masses who are unaware of the truth," which is typically used to describe people who participate in protests. Multiple cases have shown that many protestors do, in fact, know the truth, and the government has subsequently been held more accountable for its actions.

"Having ulterior motives," a phrase that is commonly employed by the government to denounce enemies of the public or the country, has been seen less and less in the years since the Cultural Revolution.

Responding to the public in a perfunctory way has been shown to create distrust and even anger.

After a deadly high-speed train collision occurred in east China's city of Wenzhou last year, Ministry of Railways spokesman Wang Yongping told reporters "whether you believe it or not, I believe it" when asked why the front carriage of the train was buried just one day after the crash, as two-year-old crash survivor Xiang Weiyi had been rescued from one of the train's cars shortly before it was to be buried, which Wang described as "a miracle."

Many saw his statement as insincere and irresponsible. He was subsequently sacked from his post.

In other cases, authorities respect the public's right to know the truth by disclosing information, rather than hiding it. Rumors often spread faster than truth, making it all the more important for the government to respond to public concerns in an open and timely manner.

Publicity and transparency have become a basic principle for authorities when conducting exchanges with the public in recent years. The country's top leaders have communicated with Internet users via online fora, and many local governments and departments have opened their own microblog accounts.

Many government departments have established spokesman systems in recent years as well. In 2008, a regulation pertaining to information transparency went into effect.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) considers maintaining close relations with the public to be a political advantage. Sound interaction between authorities and the public can consolidate these relations and help to improve all aspects of the CPC's governance.

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