Having become a popular personal communication tool in China,
the Internet is gradually entering the country's public affairs
decision-making.
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In Shenzhen, the local legislature recently issued a circular on
shenzhen.net.cn, asking citizens to contribute suggestions for its
legislative work in 2004.
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In Beijing, the municipal government has posted a notice on
Beijing.gov.cn, soliciting public views on 56 major public
undertakings planned for 2004.
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Nationwide, cases of the government using the Internet to
communicate with the public have been increasing rapidly.
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"Thanks to the Internet, the degree of public participation in
China's public affairs has reached an unprecedented level," said
Zhou Sheng, a university teacher in Beijing.
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The government has been vigorously promoting this trend with the
launch of two projects, one for building a transparent government
and another for building an e-government.
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The first project requires government agencies across the
country to make public important issues, including fiscal revenue
and spending, and major decisions and plans.
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The second project encourages government agencies to use
computer networks, including the Internet, to improve the
transparency of public affairs, draw public views in making major
decisions and streamlining bureaucratic procedures.
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"Lots of government agencies have come to regard the Internet as
a useful tool, one that would help them to make better decisions,"
said Professor Liu Qinglong of China's Tsinghua
University, who is heading a research program on
e-government.
Besides view collecting sessions, the government also looks upon
Internet bulletin boards, on-line chat rooms and Website voting
systems as everyday channels of government-public interaction.
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In Wuhu, a city in east China's Anhui
Province, a special bulletin board has been established on the
city's Website where citizens could relate grievances and
difficulties. The operator of the board would pass these voices to
government departments concerned, which are obligated to supply
feedback.
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The Beijing Municipal Government is considering establishing a
similar opinion collecting system in 2004.
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On-line chatting in China used to be dominated by youths seeking
fun, their other halves and English practicing opportunities.
Nowadays, some learned scholars and high-level government officials
have joined the population.
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On Dec. 23, 2003, China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing
participated in a scheduled on-line chat session that lasted around
two hours. The content of the chat ranged from China's foreign
policy, Sino-US and Sino-Japanese relations to Li's personal
life.
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Officials from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health
and other government offices have also participated in on-line
chats arranged by Websites with the topics ranging from the
significance of certain new policies to the work style of the
government and other hot issues.
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Nowadays, the Chinese general public now knows much more about
government administration than any previous periods. The Internet
has played a very big role in this change.
Logging on to Websites of governments of various levels and
regions, ordinary citizens have instant access to resumes of
leading government officials, existing laws and regulations,
development plans and the socio-economic status quo, as well as
budget and spending of major public-funded projects.
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In Heze, an ordinary medium-sized city in east China's Shandong
Province, information on the budget and spending of a sewage
treatment project is carried on the city's Website. The Website
also lists a number of laws and regulations that influence local
citizens, including procedures of applying for legal assistance in
court and licenses for practicing medicine in the rural areas.
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In addition, lots of public affairs receive real-time coverage
by the Internet, mainly by governmental Websites and Websites
specializing in news reports, including China.com.cn, Xinhuanet.com
and people.com.cn.
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In the first 15 days of 2004, Xinhuanet.com carried live
coverage of five press conferences, including those given by the
minister of education, director of the General Administration of
Civil Aviation and head of the State Administration of
Taxation.
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Public response to the new opportunities created by the Internet
has been enthusiastic.
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According to Xinhuanet.com, more than 40,000 people participated
in the on-line chat with Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing last
December.
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In November of 2003, the Beijing Municipal Government invited
public appraisals of the performance of its 60 functional
departments through Beijing.gov.cn. More than 100,000 people cast
their votes showing satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
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Commenting on the on-line chat of foreign minister Li, a netizen
with the on-line nickname of "Blue Sky, Blue Sea" wrote: "This is
further evidence of the creative work style of the current
administration. I hope it will serve as a good example for other
government officials to follow."
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"With the Internet, democratic decision making becomes easier to
achieve in China, with its population of 1.3 billion," said Zhou
Sheng.
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According to the latest statistics, the number of Internet users
in China had reached 79.5 million by the end of 2003.
(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2004)
