FOI in China at the Local Government Level

FOI legislation at the local governments of China has undergone an unprecedented level of development since 2004. 11 local governments (among 31 in the mainland of China) have introduced FOI legislation since 2004. Shanghai was the first leader at province level in the introduction of FOI legislation. Other three local governments, including Chongqing, Hubei and Jilin, also introduced FOI laws in 2004. Year 2005 has witnessed the spread of FOI laws to 6 provinces (Guangdong, Hebei, Hainan, Shaanxi, Liaoning and Heilongjiang) and most recently to Jiangsu Province. A national FOI legislation is on the way. To mention that, the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong has continued the voluntary Code on Access to Government Information that was introduced in 1995 under the British Government and Taiwan enacted its FOI legislation in 2005. #