The four men, all officials with the State Commission for Ethnic Group Affairs and waiting for promotions, will be open to public scrutiny for two weeks and any negative comments towards them will possibly influence the final decision.

A source from the Ministry of Personnel told Xinhua that since the reform of the official selecting system was implemented in the middle of the 1980s and especially in recent years, China's official selecting process has become more and more open and transparent.

As stressed in a recent circular jointly issued by China's central government, vacant positions in government departments should be refilled through public competitions.

Although some have not got used to the new method of selecting officials, the method is now quickly spreading across the country.

Recently in China's capital city of Beijing, the municipal government announced for the first time that personnel in private enterprises and joint-ventures are welcome to compete for the 39 senior positions in the government.

In 1996, five senior government officials were selected openly. In the following year, 56 high-ranking officials were selected in the same way. In 1998, the figure rose to 173.

In Shenzhen, a city known as a pioneer in China's reforms and opening-up, one third of its vacant director general positions will be refilled through open competition.

What's more, all its middle-level official positions will be available for open competitions in the future, the city announced in a recent decision.

In July this year, China's Academy of Meteorology began to search for a new president from both home and abroad. So far, altogether 11 scholars have bid for the position and the final result is expected to be announced later this year.

In the past, this position used to be filled by "orders from higher authorities" and usually one's longevity was the most important criterion.

In Northeast China's Liaoning province, one of the most important industrial bases in China, the provincial government has opened 51 important positions to returned overseas students.

At the same time, the Chinese government is sparing no efforts to fight corruption related to the process of selecting officials.

"We view corruption in the selection process of officials as the most corruptive factor in the country and the Party," said Zhang Xuezhong, Minister of Personnel.

Local analysts believe that the openness and transparency of official selection will not only have a profound impact on preventing and fighting corruption, but will also push the Chinese economy on the track of a sustained, rapid and healthy growth.

(Xinhua News Agency 08/23/2001)