BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Osman Erol, a Turkish reporter based in Beijing, says it's much easier to interview local government officials or state company managers this year.

    "Local officials were often afraid of talking with foreign reporters as they were worried about making mistakes," said the Beijing Bureau Chief of Turkey's Cihan News Agency.

    He became a correspondent in China in 2004. Back then, he said permission from the local foreign affairs departments was required to report outside the country's capital.

    "The permits often took hours or even days to get, which is quite inconvenient," Erol said.

    China's new foreign media rules, issued Friday, would make reporting in China more convenient, the State Council Information Office Director (SCIO) Wang Chen told Xinhua.

    Worries about whether China would continue being open to the foreign media after the Games, surfaced months ago.

    Liu Binjie, the General Administration of Press and Publication minister, told Xinhua in July that being open to foreign media was a long-term policy rather than a makeshift "puff of wind."

    According to the new rules, foreign journalists no longer need the accompany of relevant departments while interviewing organizations or individuals in China.

    The new rules went in to effect Oct. 17. They also replace temporary media regulations introduced on Jan. 1, 2007 for the Beijing Olympics. That was the first time the country removed media restrictions on foreign reporters.

    "The new regulations are an important step toward making China more open," said Jocelyn Ford, a correspondent for U.S. Public Radio.

    "The free flow of information is important for China and important for the world. The more global influence a nation wields, the more responsibility it has to be transparent and accountable."

    The new rules, coherent to the Olympic regulations, are significantly different from those issued in 1990. In the form of a long-lasting law, the 23-point rules make the temporary arrangement a standard practice, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.

    According to the rules, foreign reporters now only need permission from the person or organization being interviewed although there are some exceptions.

    "Foreign reporters still need to ask for permission to do reporting in Tibet and other areas that are off-limits to foreign reporters, like some military facilities," Liu said.

    OPEN POLICY STRENGTHENED

    China's new rules for foreign media reflect the country's determination to carry on the policy of opening-up to the outside world, SCIO Director Wang said.

    He said the new rules draw on the experience of providing service and managerial assistance for foreign correspondents during the Beijing Olympics.

    "Chinese government welcomes foreign media and reporters and we hope more stories about the country will be told to the world. We will spare no effort to provide help and service to them," Wang said.

    Analysts believe the new foreign media rules institutionalize the country's current openness and transparency.

    Liu Xiaoying, professor with the International Communication College under the China Communication University said, "The free flow of information had become an irreversible trend in China."

    He added, "The speed of openness has become increasingly fast in recent years and it is much better than being closed off."

    A week before the Olympics, President Hu Jintao pledged China would continue to welcome foreign journalists and facilitate their reporting whether it was before or after the Games. Hu made the statement during a joint interview with journalists from 25 international news organizations in the Great Hall of the People.

    "China has always opened its door to the outside world," the president said.

    The rules on government information transparency, which took effect on May 1, required governments at all levels to open information involving public interests, policies or activities to the public. They also said people are entitled to know bureaucratic setups, functions and procedures, and any other information legally defined as "public".

    Statistics show the SCIO organized 72 news conferences last year. Central government departments held 547 press conferences and local governments held 789.

    Huang Youyi, deputy director-general and editor-in-chief of China International Publishing Group, said, "Sadly some foreign media reported inaccurate information about China. I believe with more foreign reporters coming, the proportion of accurate reports will increase."

    Ford said, "It is normal for influential nations to face critical reports from around the world. The free flow of information plays an important role in helping societies correct problems before they become too big, for example in the case of the current milk scandal."

    She also added, "It's difficult for foreign correspondents to report accurately about China if we are not able to travel freely and talk freely with a wide variety of people, or if authorities discourage some Chinese citizens from sharing their views with us. When government authorities refuse interviews, we also cannot reflect their views."

    Professor Liu, who offers professional training to local government spokesmen, said some people still felt nervous and tried to shun foreign reporters.

    Those occurrences made overseas reporters believe that central Chinese departments were easier to speak with but local officials hard to get close to.

    "The situation is changing now. Some local departments have become very open while dealing with the media," Liu said.

    Erol, the reporter from Turkey, said many officials and members of the public are now more willing to be interviewed by foreign reporters, making his work in China easier.

    He noticed that there were fewer negative reports from journalists about China during the Olympics because foreign reporters could gain a better understanding of the country.

    "A lack of understanding can lead news reports to be unsatisfactory or misleading," said Erol.