Cheers! The local governments in China have become a great news source for industrial expansions and other business information for me.

No, I didn't bribe them. Nor did I hack into their databases.

All I do is monitor their public information Web sites like nobody else.

It has taken a decade for Chinese local governments to not only have vendor-built neat Web sites but also to regularly update them with useful information, from construction approvals to training for unemployed residents.

The fact that you can now submit a request, check on its status and receive approval all online makes the government much more open, efficient and transparent.

Government-backed local media are just as helpful to me. They are eager to write about the government's achievements: foreign investment, construction, exchange programs, etc.

Take this report, first published by Tianjin Daily.

It reported that on May 19, two dozen local officials visited Columbus, Ohio-based Ashland Inc.'s new polyester project in Tianjin and provided on-site consultation and approval. "The on-site services laid the groundwork for Ashland's 30,000-metric-ton unsaturated polyester plant," the news said.

The story also gave details about the project that even Plastics News' latest update on Ashland's China expansion didn't include: The factory is 65,422 square meters, total investment is US$40 million and the project is scheduled to go on stream in July 2009.

Isn't this nice?

A local government-owned newspaper also reported that China's pipe giant Liansu of Foshan, Guangdong providence, has inked a 400 million yuan deal on a plastic pipe production base in Changchun, Jilin province. Liansu refused to talk about it when I checked with the company at Chinaplas last month. But industry insiders told me that the expansion makes perfect sense: As transportation costs rise, a factory in the northeast of China will greatly supplement its headquarters in Southeast China.

So far, I haven't seen coverage on Liansu's new project anywhere else. I'm waiting to see how it plays out.