BEIJING - The number of Chinese microblog accounts had exceeded 1.3 billion by the end of November, making this a major channel for disseminating information, according to the State Internet Information Office.

Media institutions' microblogs are developing fast and about 37,000 such accounts have been opened via popular websites including weibo.com and t.qq.com, Liu Zhengrong, a senior official with the office, told the People's Daily.

Chinese authorities have also opened microblog accounts as they consider it as an effective channel for disclosing information, communicating with the public and providing services.

Official statistics show that China had more than 170,000 government microblogs by the end of last year, an increase of almost 2.5 times from the previous year. And disciplinary authorities across China have opened nearly 1,000 microblog accounts.

The country's Supreme People's Court also created official accounts on Sina Weibo and WeChat late last month in an effort to promote judicial transparency.