Zhang Xiaoli, a 46 year-old website manager and freelance photographer from Luoyang, has been elected to Luoyang Municipal Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), raising hopes that voices of more ordinary citizens will be heard at this year's Congress, the Beijing News reported on February 19.

Zhang Xiaoli, a 46 year-old website manager and freelance photographer from Luoyang, has been elected to Luoyang Municipal Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), raising hopes that voices of more ordinary citizens will be heard at this year's Congress, the Beijing News reported on February 19.

And three popular Internet Forum masters – "I love my Luoyang", "Flush" and "Great River" – have been chosen to serve as members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Zhang says that as a freelance photographer he has explored political issues and his election proves that the nation is opening up new channels for people to express their views. He attributed his success to the growth in popularity of the Internet as a powerful platform for the open exchange of views.

He said he intends to pay close attention to online opinion and will raise important issues at the Congress and propose investigations into serious problems.

Zhang said he will find it easy to collect public opinion via the Internet since he is well known among Netizens. He sees the Internet as an interactive platform under the supervision of the whole nation, vastly outstripping any other communications channel.

He added that the establishment of the Internet Development Promotion Association has provided the nation with a means to promote socially useful aspects of the Web.

Modern channels of communication are required to allow public opinion to influence government decisions and legislation, said Zhang. It was a great step forward when the Henan Supreme Court began publishing its judgments online last year. He said that the Internet can provide the means to develop the openness and transparency of the NPC, the CPPCC and the judicial authorities.

(China.org.cn by Jessica Zhang, February 19, 2009)