The first Guangdong Province Netizen Forum, held in the provincial capital Guangzhou on November 1, 2009 is a sign of the growing importance of the Internet as an expression of Chinese public opinion, Chinanews.com.cn reports.

The forum sponsors said their aim is to transmit the views of grass-roots netizens to the government and boost the participation of Internet users in public life.

Internet use has spread rapidly across China over the past ten years and Guangdong has more Internet users than any other province. Guangdong Party Secretary Wang Yang has held discussions with netizens and invited them to voice their criticisms of government. He has also said the government wants to create ways for the public to participate in policy making and turn public opinion into a form of soft power to improve Guangdong.

The netizen forum was organized by the Nanfang Daily Press Group and the Guangdong Association of Cyber Culture. It attracted ordinary Internet users, Internet entrepreneurs and staff from various enterprises and public bodies. The organizers said the only preconditions for attendance were agreement to abide by the law and the ability to think independently.

The organizers plan to hold annual forums and smaller monthly gatherings to criticize government policy and encourage ordinary people to participate in public life. One of the first topics of discussion is the impact of the global financial crisis on the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong's industrial heartland.

One netizen left a message on the forum bulletin board, saying "we are accustomed to forums being dominated by the elite but today we netizens have our own forum. Finally netizens have found a formal channel for their voices."

Meng Hao, a member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference who attended the forum as an observer, said, "The netizen forum is an excellent platform for listening to the wisdom of the public and encouraging people to take part in public affairs via the internet. This forum is of remarkable significance."

Government officials should earnestly listen to, and take to heart, the voices of grassroots netizens, and turn their opinions and suggestions into a force to promote social progress, Meng added.