Hainan commerce official punished for failing to keep website updated

Dong Haifeng, a top official with the commerce bureau in Danzhou, Hainan province, has been punished for negligence after failing to update the bureau's official website for a long time.

The General Office of the State Council circulated a notice in early November, criticizing a large number of local administrations around the country that had failed to meet requirements in regards to managing their official websites.

The commerce bureau of Danzhou, the second-largest city in Hainan, was the only administration in the province that was named, according to news portal hinews.cn.

Dong was put under investigation soon after the State Council circulated the notice and has now been issued with an administrative demerit and a Party warning, a disciplinary punishment handed down by the Danzhou Municipal Party Committee, hinews.cn reported on Sunday.

The bureau's official website has been closed permanently and all relevant information on commerce in Danzhou has been moved to the Hainan provincial government's information portal, according to hinews.cn.

Data from the General Office of the State Council show that more than 80 percent of China's cities and regions have established an official accountability system for problems in running their official websites.

But few officials have been punished for dereliction of duty in regards to website administration, according to media reports.

Experts said the Danzhou case could herald further implementation of China's accountability system for information openness, while effective measures could also be introduced to ensure that governments at all levels perform their duties and publicize government information.