The Chinese government's press office, the Information Office of the State Council, has launched an application for iPad users as part of the country's efforts to build a better international image.

It is the first time that a Chinese government department has released an application for the iPad, according to an official with the Information Office.

The application currently provides digital versions of the 25 white papers published by the State Council from 2005 to 2010 in both Chinese and English.

Video clips of press conferences held by the Information Office over the past two years are also available on the application, which includes video-on-demand download and search services.

Users can also watch the two films of China's national image publicity with English voiceovers on the application.

With such a move, the Chinese government intends to allow more people worldwide to hear Chinese voices and promote China's image within the international community, said an official with the Information Office.

The Information Office will further improve and constantly update information for the application, the official said.

After its launch last Monday, the application has been on the top 15 list of popular free news apps on the App Store (China) website.

As of Monday afternoon, 56 users had submitted feedback to the Information Office. More than 30 of them rated the application with full marks, the five-star rating.

"It is a good start, and I hope there will be more apps with Chinese elements here," said netizen "dnqz" on the website.

"It is a good use of diversified measures to promote the information of China to the world," said netizen "Auanhua".

(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2011)