Top China official urges more ‘forceful’ web controls

CHINA: A top Chinese government official has urged authorities to be “more forceful” in the way they manage the web, state media said, as Beijing tries to tighten online controls over fears of social unrest.

Wang Chen, head of the State Internet Information Office a government body set up this year to supervise online content also urged officials to use the web to “guide public opinion and promote positive social values”.

“All regions and departments must use more forceful and effective measures to strengthen the construction and management of cyber culture,” he was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency late Saturday.

With more than half a billion Chinese now online, authorities in Beijing are concerned about the power of the Internet to influence public opinion in a country that maintains tight controls on its traditional media outlets.

And as the nation’s economy loses steam amid financial woes in Europe and the United States, China’s leaders are increasingly fearful of social unrest.