China's ruling Communist Party is urging its officials to become more proficient at microblogging.

An article in its flagship newspaper, People's Daily, says the ability to perform in cyberspace reflects a cadre's all-around capability.

The article, titled “How to speak in a microblog era,” says officials must give up speaking in bureaucratic cliches. It says information should be shared in an equal way, and officials should always tell the truth.

The article points out the rising popularity in China of Internet-based microblogs, which allow anyone to broadcast brief messages to an unlimited number of people. While the U.S.-based Twitter service is banned in the country, Chinese-based microblog services have millions of followers.

The article notes that microblogs have enabled officials to open dialogue with the public and helped the government to present a people-friendly image.

However the same services have provided an avenue for unprecedented criticism of the government. This occurred after a high-speed train wreck in eastern China last month.