China will enact a regulation on the releasing of government information by the end of this year in a bid to promote government transparency, a senior party official said on Tuesday.

"The regulation, which is being drafted by the State Council, will be completed and released before the end of this year," Gan Yisheng, secretary-general of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said at a press conference.

China is in the process of building an effective system to ensure government affairs are made public. The move is viewed as a further effort by the central administration to improve government efficiency and prevent abuse of power.

Gan said the General Offices of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have issued several documents, urging authorities at all levels, especially those at county and township levels, to promote government transparency.

"Provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across China have issued their own local regulations for the release of information, which have established an important base for promoting government transparency," Gan said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2006)