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January 19, 2012

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China seeking bigger world voice for 2012

CHINA will adopt a more open stance and strengthen measures for its voice to be heard in 2012, as it seeks to obtain increased understanding from the world about its values and development patterns, a senior official said yesterday.

Wang Chen, head of the State Council Information Office, said China hopes to improve understanding of its national conditions as well as domestic and foreign policies among the international community.

By openly providing timely and accurate information, the office presented China's economic, political, cultural and social progress in 2011, Wang told a news briefing in Beijing.

China's online population had become the largest in the world by 2011, with 513 million netizens since the Internet started to emerge in China in 1994.

Segments of the Chinese population have been able to voice their opinions in an unprecedented way in China following the emergence microblogging services, such as Weibo, and other social networking sites, Wang said, adding that the number of microblog users exceeds 300 million in China.

While acknowledging the role of new media in ensuring the public's right to know and supervise, Wang said the development of the Internet has brought problems that can not be overlooked.

Along with the conveniences that the Internet has brought to people's lives, it also harbors false information, ill-intentioned hype, pornographic and obscene information, online gambling, as well as public relations gimmicks, said Wang.

Strengthening and improving the regulation of online information will ensure that the Internet can develop in a continuous and healthy way, and this conforms to the aspirations and voice of the people, according to the transcript of Wang's remarks.

As part of measures to tackle online rumors, Beijing began in December to enforce new rules that require microbloggers to provide their true identities when registering for microblog accounts.

Real-name registration has been extended to more cities, including Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, according to Wang.

Wang said that microblogging services have made it easier for irrational, negative and harmful information to circulate quickly, while also acknowledging their positive role in facilitating communication.





 

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