Democracy for the Future

By Yu Liang

The Internet has changed the traditional pattern of politics. In China， it has increased peoples ability to make their voices heard.

Chinese netizens have been vocal on the Internet since their emergence. In 2010， opinion leaders， mainly intellectuals and members of the media， launched the Onlookers Changing China campaign， paying attention to public affairs so that their collective gaze acted as a pressure tactic on those being watched.

In 2011， when a bullet train accident in Wenzhou， Zhejiang Province in east China， killed 40 and injured more than 170， many netizens questioned the reliability of high-speed railway technologies. The government responded by improving the highspeed rail system. Subsequently， experts and opinion leaders explained to the public the necessity of developing high-speed rail， and the publics attitude gradually changed. Today， China has built the worlds best and largest high-speed rail network.

The Internet has become a powerful tool for people to express themselves. The Communist Party of China （CPC） is also keen to learn about public opinions and does so through online platforms.

Channel of communication

The CPC says its purpose is to “serve the people，” to constantly meet their wishes and needs， and transform peoples will into governance strategies and the will of the nation.

Apart from strengthening Party building and intra-Party democracy， the CPC tries to identify and resolve its own problems with the help of the Internet， while ensuring that Chinas cyberspace is immune to foreign interference.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee last October stressed to “innovate the mechanism of mass work in the Internet era， always serve the people， trust the people， rely on the people， lead the people， and go deep into the grassroots level… and closely unite the people around the CPC.”

The government is serious about dealing with Internet opinions. When online posts have accused offi cials of corruption or other crimes， the government has responded to them very quickly and punished the wrongdoings， if the accusations were true.

On February 27， at the peak of the novel coronavirus disease （COVID-19） epidemic in China， the Ministry of Justice published the draft regulations on the administration of permanent residence of foreigners to solicit public opinion. The draft， seemingly a bit unpolished， drew widespread criticism， particularly from online communities. The ministry responded quickly， promising to carefully study the feedback and revise the draft.