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".

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"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.

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