Home » Opinion » Chinese Views
More open Party uses Net for public input
By Meng Na |
October 18, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CAO Jinsong's first task every workday is to scan the Internet to see what the public are talking about.
The 42-year-old spokesperson for Nanjing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) says: "To be a spokesperson for the Party committee, I need to always pay attention to issues that the public and media are interested in," says Cao, who earned his doctor's degree in philosophy from Nanjing University in 2003.
Cao often browses online forums and message boards on the official www.xinhuanet.com of the national Xinhua News Agency and www.people.com.cn of the People's Daily. He downloads postings he thinks inspiring, for further reading or reference.
The Xinhua website has set up several channels for officials and netizens to interact, such as officials' blogs and message boards for netizens to leave messages.
Huang Tingman, the person in charge of the Xinhua website's "netizen's forum," says online forums offer opportunities for officials to solicit public opinion on policies and for netizens to participate in decision making in an orderly manner.
For four years, the website of the People's Daily has operated the "message board for local Party and government leaders" for the public and the Party and government officials to interact.
It receives 1,300 to 1,500 anonymous and real-name posts every day. Leading officials or departments will try to resolve the issues in an open reply on the board.
Anonymous post
An anonymous post in June complained it was unfair that students and their parents had to pay extra fees to check the scores of high school entrance exams in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.
A few days later, the city's education authorities replied on the message board saying the fees for checking exam scores had been scrapped and promised to open an online score-checking system.
In July 2010, the environmental protection authorities in Tongbai County, Henan Province in central China, announced online that a small bitumen factory had been ordered to stop production and submit documents for environmental impact assessment. This followed an anonymous post complaining that the factory had severely polluted the environment of surrounding communities.
An official investigation found the factory had never been assessed, despite its proximity to homes and a nature reserve.
"The Internet provides a platform for leading officials to learn public opinions with 'original flavor'," says Zhang Baoshun, secretary of the Anhui Provincial Committee of the CPC in a posting.
"Officials should not only get accustomed to seeing public opinions on the Internet, but try their best to handle the issues raised to push forward scientific development and promote social harmony."
Professor Yuan Feng of the East China University of Political Science and Law, says: "Officials who do not use the Internet will be obsolete eventually, as the Internet has not only complemented traditional media and life, but is also an important channel for public opinions in China."
Peng Peng, research fellow with the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences, says: "The online interaction between officials and netizens is a new platform for the democracy with Chinese characteristics. Such interactions may spur new round of reform."
Since the Fourth Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee endorsed a spokesperson system last September, the CPC committees at different levels have started to establish their own spokesperson systems.
"The spokesperson system is key to making the Party affairs public, promoting intra-Party democracy, improving the Party's governance capability, and to cultivating a favorable environment for the development of the CPC and China," says Wang Chen, head of the International Communication Office of the CPC Central Committee.
More transparent
Cao Jingsong believes that the spokespersons at the Central Committee level will play an exemplary role for the grassroots level spokespersons.
Wu Jiang, dean of the Chinese Academy of Personnel Science, says: "After more than three decades of reform and opening up, China has achieved significant economic growth, while its society has entered a transition period highlighted by some social contradictions. Only through being more transparent and interactive ... can the Party consolidate its ruling foundation and improve its governance."
On June 30, the Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee opened its doors to more than 60 correspondents of the domestic and foreign media.
It was the first time the country's highest institution for the training of high and middle-ranking Party officials had hosted a large media tour.
In recent years, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the CPC Central Committee's International Department also opened their doors to journalists and the public.
Chen Baosheng, the Party school's vice president, says: "The Party system should be open to the outside world because the Party exists to serve the people and the Party has nothing to hide."
The 42-year-old spokesperson for Nanjing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) says: "To be a spokesperson for the Party committee, I need to always pay attention to issues that the public and media are interested in," says Cao, who earned his doctor's degree in philosophy from Nanjing University in 2003.
Cao often browses online forums and message boards on the official www.xinhuanet.com of the national Xinhua News Agency and www.people.com.cn of the People's Daily. He downloads postings he thinks inspiring, for further reading or reference.
The Xinhua website has set up several channels for officials and netizens to interact, such as officials' blogs and message boards for netizens to leave messages.
Huang Tingman, the person in charge of the Xinhua website's "netizen's forum," says online forums offer opportunities for officials to solicit public opinion on policies and for netizens to participate in decision making in an orderly manner.
For four years, the website of the People's Daily has operated the "message board for local Party and government leaders" for the public and the Party and government officials to interact.
It receives 1,300 to 1,500 anonymous and real-name posts every day. Leading officials or departments will try to resolve the issues in an open reply on the board.
Anonymous post
An anonymous post in June complained it was unfair that students and their parents had to pay extra fees to check the scores of high school entrance exams in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.
A few days later, the city's education authorities replied on the message board saying the fees for checking exam scores had been scrapped and promised to open an online score-checking system.
In July 2010, the environmental protection authorities in Tongbai County, Henan Province in central China, announced online that a small bitumen factory had been ordered to stop production and submit documents for environmental impact assessment. This followed an anonymous post complaining that the factory had severely polluted the environment of surrounding communities.
An official investigation found the factory had never been assessed, despite its proximity to homes and a nature reserve.
"The Internet provides a platform for leading officials to learn public opinions with 'original flavor'," says Zhang Baoshun, secretary of the Anhui Provincial Committee of the CPC in a posting.
"Officials should not only get accustomed to seeing public opinions on the Internet, but try their best to handle the issues raised to push forward scientific development and promote social harmony."
Professor Yuan Feng of the East China University of Political Science and Law, says: "Officials who do not use the Internet will be obsolete eventually, as the Internet has not only complemented traditional media and life, but is also an important channel for public opinions in China."
Peng Peng, research fellow with the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences, says: "The online interaction between officials and netizens is a new platform for the democracy with Chinese characteristics. Such interactions may spur new round of reform."
Since the Fourth Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee endorsed a spokesperson system last September, the CPC committees at different levels have started to establish their own spokesperson systems.
"The spokesperson system is key to making the Party affairs public, promoting intra-Party democracy, improving the Party's governance capability, and to cultivating a favorable environment for the development of the CPC and China," says Wang Chen, head of the International Communication Office of the CPC Central Committee.
More transparent
Cao Jingsong believes that the spokespersons at the Central Committee level will play an exemplary role for the grassroots level spokespersons.
Wu Jiang, dean of the Chinese Academy of Personnel Science, says: "After more than three decades of reform and opening up, China has achieved significant economic growth, while its society has entered a transition period highlighted by some social contradictions. Only through being more transparent and interactive ... can the Party consolidate its ruling foundation and improve its governance."
On June 30, the Party School of the Communist Party of China Central Committee opened its doors to more than 60 correspondents of the domestic and foreign media.
It was the first time the country's highest institution for the training of high and middle-ranking Party officials had hosted a large media tour.
In recent years, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the CPC Central Committee's International Department also opened their doors to journalists and the public.
Chen Baosheng, the Party school's vice president, says: "The Party system should be open to the outside world because the Party exists to serve the people and the Party has nothing to hide."
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
