Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu province, has been in the spotlight recently when 16 candidates running for four bureau director positions in the municipal government appeared on television to deliver their statements and answer questions. The event was broadcast live by local TV, radio and Internet portals, making history along the way.

Though some people criticize the move as a political show, an opinion piece in China Daily hails it as a step forward on the road to a democratic process of selecting government officials.

The author says it is far from enough for a candidate to display his or her competence in a 15-minute presentation, but compared with a closed-door process, it functions as a device to let in a ray of sunshine into the official appointment process and help make the entire process transparent.

An article in the Beijing News also calls Nanjing's move a big step in the right direction. But the author suggets that the process should be more open given how the candidates are recommended by the government, who actually makes the final decision.

Meanwhile, the 21st Century Business Herald carries a report on a new way to select officials in southern China's Shenzhen city, where the public is invited to evaluate a candidate's work in environmental protection as part of his or her selection process.

The newspaper says the initiatives in Nanjing and Shenzhen show that China has begun to improve the selection process of officials by building a service-oriented governance, and officials must get used to their life under scrutiny.