Citizens visiting the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee welcome Harald Leibrecht (center), a member of German parliament, and get ready to pose for a group photograph on Friday. [Photo/China Daily] Click for the video: A peek into a CPC department

BEIJING - For the first time, a tour of a top diplomatic agency was held exclusively for netizens.

About 40 netizens heard a briefing from a chamber of Party diplomats.

Even better for the group, composed mostly of young men, was the opportunity to learn more about the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Party diplomats, smiling and groomed for the occasion, stood in line to greet the visitors, who came at the invitation of the international department's information office.

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Sun Haiyan, deputy director of the research bureau of the department, organized a welcome ceremony for the netizens, who were chosen for the visit by xinhuanet.com, people.com.cn and china.com.cn.

In the ceremony, Sun gave introductions to the history, functions and operations of the department.

Senior Party diplomats were also invited to tell about their work experiences and to discuss the role the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee has played in the Party's international endeavors and its achievements.

"My bureau has been maintaining communications and exchanges with more than 70 political parties in South and Southeast Asia," said Shen Peili, director of the first bureau of the international department.

"When Suthep Thaugsuban, the deputy prime minister of Thailand, visited China in July last year, we organized a meeting between him and leaders from the international department , the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Ministry of Railways," she said. "They discussed their parties' organization works and the construction of high-speed railways."

The international department also arranged for the deputy prime minister to take a short trip on a high-speed train, which "deeply impressed" him, according to Shen.

"That is a good example showing you how our work can improve relations between China and other countries and deepen mutual understandings among people," Shen said.

Li Lianfu, once a Chinese ambassador to Cuba and a retired senior official in charge of South American affairs at the international department, told the netizens that he thinks the essence of the Party's diplomacy lies in "making friends".

"We have a lot of 'all-weather friends' in South American countries," Li said. "The department even has communicated with an anti-communist party in Bolivia and invited its top leader to visit China.

"After seeing the real China, he changed his old-fashioned thoughts about China and the Party. He told us, 'If I were Chinese, I would certainly join the Communist Party'."

One of the netizens on the tour, Zhang Tao, a lawyer in Beijing, inquired about the international department's tradition of remaining inconspicuous and closed to the public. In response, Sun Haiyan said the department has been trying to make itself more open and transparent.

Toward the end of the tour, the netizens were led to a conference room to witness a meeting between Li Jinjun, vice-minister of the international department, and a delegation from the German parliament, which accompanied German Vice-Chancellor Guido Westerwelle on a visit to China.

"I am truly surprised that so many Chinese netizens can come here to meet us," Harald Leibrecht, a member of the parliament, said. "This is an excellent chance for us and you to directly communicate with each other."

He said he believes such communication can help clear up the misconceptions some Germans have about China and the Communist Party of China.

The netizens on the tour were also eager to learn more about their own government.

"I didn't know much about the international department, so when I heard about the tour, I decided to take this opportunity to have a look," said Zhang Yuding, a student from the Beijing University of Technology.

Sun told China Daily that the department had opened itself to the public before, but this was the first time it had for netizens exclusively.

"I am convinced that many more netizens would like to know more about the international department and the Party's international activities," she said. "So we will hold more of these activities in the future."