China state paper urges Internet rethink to gag foes

China's Communist Party control is at risk unless the government takes firmer steps to stop Internet opinion being shaped by increasingly organised political foes, a team of party writers warned in a commentary published on Friday. The long commentary in the overseas edition of the People's Daily, the main newspaper of China's ruling Communist Party, added to signs that Beijing, jolted by the growing audience and influence of Twitter-like microblogging websites, is weighing fresh ways to tame and channel online opinion.
Chinese officials and media have recently complained about the spread of damaging and unfounded "rumours" on the Internet. But this commentary raised the political stakes by arguing that organised, subversive opponents are exploiting tardy regulation to inflame opinion and spread their views.
The commentary urged changes in how China controls Internet innovations. "Internet opinion is spontaneous, but increasingly shows signs of becoming organised," said the commentary, written by a team of writers for the Communist Party's top theoretical journal, "Qiushi," which means "Seeking Truth."
"Among the many controversies stirred up on the Internet, many are organised, with goals and meticulous planning and direction, and some clearly have commercial interests or political intentions in the background," said the commentary. "Unless administration is vigorous, criminal forces, hostile forces, terrorist organisations and others could manipulate public sentiment by manufacturing bogus opinion on the Internet, damaging social stability and national security."
A commentary in the People's Daily does not amount to a government policy pronouncement, and indeed this one may reflect a more conservative current in official debate. But it adds to signals that Beijing is leaning to tougher controls. China already heavily filters the Internet, and blocks popular foreign sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. The People's Daily commentary did not single out the explosive growth of microblog, or "weibo," users, who reached 195 million by the end of June, an increase of 209 percent on the number at the end of 2010.