Reporters' Log

Netizens change China's political landscape

By Li Huizi (Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-28 14:49

Listening to online voices is becoming more important for Chinese officials, as was shown in Premier Wen Jiabao's web chat with netizens on Saturday.

Observers believe it reflects the top leadership's will to promote "Internet democracy".

Related readings:  Premier Wen to talk online with public, 14,000 questioned raised  China Internet users soar to 298 million  Chinese world's top netizen group  Report: Chinese netizens lead web 2.0

"Chinese officials and scholars felt obliged to notice online views because it keeps them informed of the social situation," said Yu Guoming, vice president of the Media college of Beijing-based Renmin University of China.

"On-line opinions have become an indispensable part of public voices," he said.

"Reading piles of documents, listening to work reports and going among the public" might not be an effective way for officials to gauge society in the information age, Yu said.

According to the China Internet Network Information Center, an increasing number of Chinese choose cyberspace to express opinions.

As of January, there were more than 300 million Chinese, or 23.8 percent of the population, who had access to the Internet. That's up 40 percent year on year.

The figure increases monthly by about 8 million to 9 million. It means the Chinese Internet population has become the world's largest.

   Previous 1 2 3 Next Page  

   Previous 1 2 3 Next Page  

Central Economic Work Conference

• Interest Rate Cut
• 30 Years of Reforms
• Coping with Financial Crisis
• Housing in China
• 2008 Tsinghua Management Global Forum
• more

Hot Words

• 政府注資 pump priming
• 軟環(huán)境 soft environment
• 糧食最低收購價 crops' minimum purchase prices

• 保八 Eight Percent Protection
• 以人為本 Put People First
• 農(nóng)民企業(yè)家 Farmer-turned-entrepreneur
• 窗口指導(dǎo) window guidance
• 下崗再就業(yè) Re-employment after being laid off
• more

From Foreign Press

• German media give full coverage to Premier's report
• Overseas press praise China's 8% economic growth
• German media: Economy tops agenda at NPC session
• From the foreign press
• World media keeps close watch on 'two sessions'
• more

Letters

• Corruption top issue for public
• China adopts Food Safety Law
• China's economic growth in 2009
• more