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Net draws govt, people closer

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-01-09 07:39

The election of President Hu Jintao as the "most popular guest among netizens" reflects increasing exchanges on the Web between government officials and the public, says an article in People's Daily website. An excerpt follows:

President Hu Jintao topped the "10 most popular guests among netizens" in a recent poll on the People's Daily website people.com.cn.

This is an event to which we must pay special attention. It is the first time for a Chinese president to be listed as a candidate in such a poll along with other government officials and people of different professions.

The poll, which received millions of netizens' votes in two weeks, reflects the rapidly increasing exchanges on the Internet between government officials and the public. The Internet has become an important channel for the public to express its opinions to the government authorities. Last year, many of the social problems were first exposed on the Internet, caught the attention of government leaders, and were resolved.

Top leaders, including President Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao, often surf the Web and have become netizens themselves. Hu's interaction with netizens on the People's Daily website last year has made him very popular among Web users. Many ministry and local officials also use the Web as a regular channel to listen to what the people are saying, explain government policies, and solve problems. This is a concrete step in the construction of democratic governance.

(China Daily 01/09/2009 page8)