The disclosure of government spending on receptions, overseas trips and vehicle purchases and maintenance has turned out to be a yearly event. This fact points to the importance both the government and the public have attached to the transparency of how taxpayers' money is spent.

The central government departments started to publish information about their 2011 expenditures in these three areas on Thursday, and no doubt the public will again question why a particular department needed to spend so much money on these three areas, or sangong as they are known.

Such questions are natural and people's desire to know how government departments are spending public funds can only help them improve their efficiency.