The EU-China Information Society Project, running from July 1 of 2005 to June 30 of 2009, is funded by both sides, with 18.75 million U.S. dollars from the EU and 8.75 million dollars from China.
Read more: Sino-EU Project to Improve China's Information Infrastructure
A joint statement issued by the two partners said the project is intended to help the Chinese government improve the legal and regulatory environment in areas such as telecommunications law, copyright, information security and access to government information.
Read more: EU, China jointly launch 15.7 mln eur information society project
Aimed at consolidating government information from different levels in one place and enhancing interaction between the government and the public, the website has been widely welcomed. CSM has the report.
Altogether 73, or 96.1 percent, of the 76 government departments at the state level have started portal websites, 2.7 percent higher than the figure in 2004, said the report.
Read more: More government departments in China open portal websites
There was no grand ribbon-cutting ceremony for the launch of the website. But according to Wu Jiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Personnel Science, this could be seen as a starting point for the establishment of an electronic government and a demonstration of the Chinese government's resolve to make itself more transparent and service-oriented.
Read more: China: Central govet website opens formally on New Year's Day