BEIJING, Jan. 21 -- The chief of China's petition-handling authority pledged to promote the transparency and efficiency of the country's petitioning system on Wednesday.

Shu Xiaoqin, head of the State Bureau for Letters and Calls, made the remarks at a national conference attended by chiefs of local petition-handling authorities.

Shu said authorities will embrace the principle of transparency and make the receiving, handling and settlement of petitions public.

"Transparency will help promote justice, reduce misgivings and safeguard the petitioners' and the public's right to know, participate, express and supervise," Shu said.

The online petitioning system should also be improved to encourage petitioners to file their complaints via the Internet, according to the official.

Efforts should be made to ensure that public grievances are solved in a timely manner and to enhance supervision over authorities' work.

According to a document issued at Wednesday's meeting, petition-handling authorities across the country in 2014 intensified investigations into cases left unsettled in recent years.

The investigation found about 167,000 such cases, and to date about 83 percent of them have been solved, the document said.

Shu urged promoting the rule of law to settle complaints and enhance the authority of the petitioning system.

"The petitioners' reasonable claims should be properly met. Their unreasonable requests should get proper responses. Petitioners who have difficulties with their livelihood should get proper assistance, and illegal behaviors discovered in the petitions should be handled in accordance with the law," Shu said.