BEIJING - With a style distinctly different from the twice-weekly formal news briefings, the Foreign Ministry is now turning to a micro blog to spread its messages.

Operated by the news department of the Foreign Ministry under the username of waijiaoxiaolingtong, which means "a well-informed person of foreign affairs", the micro blog has so far attracted more than 40,000 followers since its debut on April 13.

The username appears to have been verified by the web portal Sina.com, host of the micro blog site. A V-shaped symbol next to the username means the owner's identity has been checked.