The findings are prompting the authorities to highlight the role the web can play in closing the regional gap while improving government efficiency, Zhao Xiaofan, a State Council Informatization Office official, said yesterday in Beijing.

Less than 10 percent of 371,600 websites registered on the Chinese mainland at the end of last year were owned by businesses and organizations in western China, according to the survey just released by Zhao's agency.

Only a small slice - 7.4 percent - of the country's 940,329 domain names were grabbed by western regions, while eastern areas had a sizable 67.24 percent of the total, it showed.

"The disparity between China's east and west in relation to Internet resources is in fact a reflection of their differences in social and economic development," said Wang Angeng, a leading member of the advisory expert group at Zhao's office.

To bridge the divide, the government should vigorously promote informatization, especially the use of computers and Internet applications in western regions. It will boost local economic and social growth, Wang said.

Wang suggested that governments at central and local levels should integrate informatization efforts into the country's massive "go west" campaign.

Zhao said the central authorities have mobilized money and manpower to promote informatization in the country's vast west, but gave no specifics.

"The key to promoting informatization in the west is to improve computer and Internet literacy among the public," Zhao said. "The efforts should be tailored to local conditions and contribute to local economic growth."

Commenting on the survey finding that most of the country's government websites only provide introductions to government functions or are just news bulletins, with very few interactive sites, Zhao said they should become more user-driven. Ultimately, government websites should provide convenient services to satisfy the various needs of the public, he said.

(China Daily July 17, 2003)