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China issues White Paper enshrining citizens' right to freedom of speech on Net | The Chinese Government has issued a White Paper on its Internet policy and the document specifically highlights the importance of the guarantee of citizens' freedom of speech on the Internet and better access to these rights. The White Paper released by the State Council also
elaborated on the facts regarding development and use of the Internet in China,
and elucidated the country's fundamental Internet-related policies. According
to Xinhua, the Chinese government actively advocates and supports the development
and application of the Internet across the country, stressing the government's
basic Internet policy: active use, scientific development, law-based administration
and ensured security. By the end of 2009, the number of netizens in China had
reached 384 million, 618 times that of 1997 with an annual increase of 31.95 million
users. The Internet had reached 28.9 percent of the total population by the end
of 2009, higher than the world average. Its accessibility will be raised to 45
percent of the population in the coming five years, it said. "These statistics
make China among the top of the developing countries in developing and popularizing
the Internet," the paper said. "Chinese citizens fully enjoy freedom of speech
on the Internet," it said, adding that China's websites attach great importance
to providing netizens with opinion expression services. The document reinforced
China's autonomy in terms of Internet-content regulation. The paper further said
it had found that 60 percent of the country's netizens approved of such regulation
as it was a expression of China's socialist democracy and progress. "The Chinese
government believes that the Internet is an important infrastructure facility
for the nation. Within Chinese territory the Internet is under the jurisdiction
of Chinese sovereignty," it said, stressing that the Internet sovereignty of China
should be respected and protected. On the issue of Internet security, which has
especially faced acute criticism from the international media for being autocratic,
the document clarified that security concerns are culturally contextual and would
differ from nation to nation. "Concerns about Internet security of different countries
should be fully respected," it said. The Chinese government will constantly adjust
relevant policies to better match the inherent law and the objective requirements
of the development and administration of the Internet, according to the paper. |
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