China promises transparency in use of donations to quake-hit NW China

BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- The details of how donations to quake victims in Qinghai Province are used will be made public on a regular basis, to boost efficiency and transparency, China's disaster relief authorities said Sunday.

"The public are concerned whether their donations can 100-percent reach the quake victims in a timely, open and transparent way," Zou Ming, director of the disaster relief department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, told a press conference.

"This is also what we are trying to do," Zou added.

According to Zou, donations to Qinghai quake victims from Communist Party of China (CPC) provincial committees and provincial governments nationwide amount to 225 million yuan (about 33 million U.S. dollars).

Donations from the Chinese public are also rising rapidly, he said, without giving a specific number.

He said the Civil Affairs Ministry will strictly regulate the use of donations in accordance with the country's laws and regulations.

The CPC's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Ministry of Supervision have ordered relevant authorities to strengthen management of quake relief supplies and funds, Zou said, promising that civil affairs authorities will work with audit and finance departments during the process.

Social organizations eligible for receiving quake donations, including the China Red Cross Society, will be urged to make public what they have received and how the donations are used, he added.

He also vowed to intensify management in the distribution process of the quake relief supplies and funds, lest they are wasted or handed out in an unfair way.