Chinese Access to Government Information Regulation signed / comes in effect 2008

The Chinese Access to Government Information Regulation, the Chinese equivalent to a Freedom of Information Law, has been signed by premier Wen Jiabao. Read the official China Daily announcement, based on a report by the official news agency Xinhua, here:

http://www.chinadaily.cn/china/2007-04/24/content_858745.htm
It appears the regulation will rather be a national government publication scheme (i.e. a government push service) rather than one where requests by individual citizens will be predominant. The most striking feature at first glance (and before there is an English translation of the final version, on which we are working) is the transition period of one year, apparently following the UK example, allowing the administration to establish implementation plans. We will follow up with a more profound analysis in a short while.