A white paper is another name for an important document or report bound in a white cover that is officially published by a country's government or parliament.
As an official document, the white paper represents the government’s position. It must have clear facts, a clear position, standardized writing, and concise writing, and has no literary flavor. In particular, the white paper has become an internationally recognized formal official document. Documents in each country have their own customary colors. If the cover is white, it is called a white paper.
When the Blue Book is used for official documents, it mainly refers to a publication of the British Parliament. Because the cover is blue, hence the name. It was first issued in 1681 and has only been sold to the public since 1836. Its name is "British Parliamentary Instrument", which is a kind of diplomatic information and documents submitted by the British government to both houses of Parliament.
The Green Paper is a consultation document formally issued by the government on an important policy or issue. It originated from the British and American governments. Because the cover of the report is green, it is called the Green Book. The Green Paper is seen as a means for the government to solicit opinions from the public. In Commonwealth countries or places that were once ruled by the British (such as Hong Kong), the government usually publishes a green paper to collect public opinions before preparing to implement important policies, and then publishes a white paper for final announcement after revision.
The countries that use the Red Book mainly include Spain, Austria, the United Kingdom, the United States, Turkey, the Soviet Union, etc. Some are used for official documents and some are used for unofficial documents. Spain published the "Red Book on the Question of Gibraltar" (English version) in 1965 and 1968. Britain had used financial red books as early as the 13th century.
For important documents or reports officially published by the government or parliament of a country, countries use different colored covers according to their customs. The white one is called a white paper, the blue one is called a blue book (such as the British government), and the red one is called a red book. (such as the Spanish government), yellow paper (such as the French government), green paper (such as the Italian government), etc. The most countries use white papers and blue papers. In particular, the white paper has become an internationally recognized formal official document.
The Red Book is a research report on crisis warning