The regulation of China's Internet is fully in line with
international practice, and the country welcomes foreign Web-based
businesses to open here and provide lawful services, a top
cyberspace regulator said yesterday in Beijing.
Liu Zhengrong, deputy chief of the Internet Affairs Bureau of
the State Council Information Office, said that people in China
have access to the Internet, except when access is denied to "very
few" foreign websites with content that usually involves
pornography or terrorism.
"Regulating the Internet according to law is international
practice," Liu told reporters. "After studying Internet legislation
in the West, I've found we basically have identical legislative
objectives and principles."
The Chinese government has been very "positive" in supporting
the Internet and has enacted legislation necessary for its
development, he said.
Answering a China Daily question on criticism in some
foreign media of Chinese websites deleting Internet users'
messages, Liu said it is common practice around the world to remove
"illegal and harmful" information.
Some leading US websites, including Yahoo and the New York
Times, have explicit stipulations when it comes to posting
messages in forums, he said.
For example, the New York Times website says: "We
reserve the right to delete, move or edit messages that we deem
abusive, defamatory, obscene, in violation of copyright or
trademark laws, or otherwise unacceptable. We reserve the right to
remove the posting privileges of users who violate these standards
of Forum behavior at any time."
Liu said: "It is unfair and smacks of double standards when
(they) criticize China for deleting illegal and harmful messages
while it is legal for US websites to do so."
Asked to comment on the operations of US companies which have
invested, or are involved, in the Chinese Internet market, Liu said
China welcomes any foreign company that provides lawful services in
the country.
The US Congress is reportedly scheduled to hold a hearing today
about the performance of Internet giants such as Yahoo and Google
in China.
"Companies, including Internet firms, that provide services in
China must observe Chinese statutes," Liu said.
China has also launched a web-based information center to which
the public can report illegal and harmful information on the
Internet. The site functions like the Internet Watch Foundation in
Britain, he said.
Since it was set up in June 2004, the center has received
235,000 tip-offs from the public on what they deem "harmful
information," he said.
Penalties imposed on websites carrying illegal and harmful
information have been "lenient" in China, Liu said, adding no
website has been shut down as a result.
"No one in China has been arrested simply because he or she said
something on the Internet," he said.
Liu said the country's Internet market is huge and open, adding:
"I believe more foreign businesses will benefit from the
increasingly attractive market."
Wang Junxiu, co-founder of BlogChina.com, yesterday said there
could be tremendous opportunities for foreign Internet companies in
the Chinese market by working with Chinese partners.
China has about 110 million Internet users, the second world's
largest in the world after the US.
With more than 20,000 new users joining the Internet community
everyday, China is expected to have 130 million users by the end of
this year, according to Liu Zhijiang of the China Internet Network
Information Center.
(China Daily February 15, 2006)