China says citizens’ freedom of speech on Internet protected by law

BEIJING - China has said that law protects its citizens’ right to freedom of speech on the Internet, and netizens can voice their opinions “in a wide variety of ways on the Internet”.

According to a paper released by the Chinese Cabinet, “The Internet has become a new channel for the Chinese government to get to know the public opinion and amass the people’s wisdom, and consequently exercise governance for the people and improve its work in this respect.”

“It has become a common practice for governments at all levels to consult the public via the Internet before formulating policies of particular importance,” Xinhua news agency quoted the titled “Progress in China’s Human Rights in 2009″, as saying.

It also said that the Chinese government makes it convenient for the people to petition, report problems and offer suggestions through channels including special telephone lines and online agencies.

According to a survey, the Chinese market represents over 20 percent of the total global Internet users.

The online connections on the mainland are north of 420 million users.

Apart from the exceptional number of users the Chinese authorities have implemented a very advanced Internet service and over 98 percent of users are serviced with broadband. (ANI)