28. Xinhua News Agency, “China strives to regulate
cyberspace,” December 12, 2006.
29. Xinhua News Agency, “Real-name online registration
system meets opposition in China,” January 8, 2007.
30. The nine types of content that have been illegal to
produce or disseminate since the earliest Internet
regulations are: 1) violating the basic principles as
they are confirmed in the Constitution; 2) endangering state security, divulging state secrets, subverting
the national regime, or jeopardizing the integrity of
national unity; 3) harming national honor or interests;
4) inciting hatred against peoples, racism against
peoples, or disrupting the solidarity of peoples; 5)
disrupting national policies on religion, propagating
evil cults and feudal superstitions; 6) spreading
rumors, disturbing social order, or disrupting social
stability; 7) spreading obscenity, pornography, gambling, violence, terror, or abetting the commission of
a crime; 8) insulting or defaming third parties,
infringing on legal rights and interests of third parties; and 9) other content prohibited by law and
administrative regulations. Two categories of prohibited content were added in Article 19 of the
Provisions on the Administration of Internet News
Information Services (Internet News Information
Services Regulations) (hulianwang xinwen xinxi fuwu
guanli guiding), promulgated by the State Council
Information Office and the Ministry of Information
Industry on September 25, 2005. These two additional categories are 1) inciting illegal assemblies,
associations, marches, demonstrations, or gatherings that disturb social order; and 2) conducting
activities in the name of an illegal civil organization.
Translation is available at http://www.cecc.gov/
pages/virtualAcad/index.phpd?showsingle=24396.
31. See, for example, Rules of the NPC Standing
Committee on Safeguarding Internet Security
(Quanguo renda changweihui guanyu weihu hulianwang anquan de guiding), issued by the NPC
Standing Committee on December 28, 2000.
32. Raymond Li and Kristine Kwok, “Popular forum
rushes to go offline after closure order: Mainland
authorities shut-down Century China, a multi-forum
site with over 30,000 registered users,” South China
Morning Post, July 25, 2006, reprinted at
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=
49836; South China Morning Post, “Chinese
Communist Party launches website to promote
social stability,” October 20, 2006. The official order
cited Article 19 of the 2005 Internet News Information
Services Regulations.
33. Reporters Without Borders, Press Release, “Bad
start to year for online free expression,” January 12,
2007, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=
20383; Reporters Without Borders, Press Release,
“Verdict in cyberdissident Li Zhi case confirms
implication of Yahoo!” February 27, 2006,
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=16579;
Reporters Without Borders, Press Release, “Cyberdissident convicted on Yahoo! information is freed
after four years,” November 9, 2006,
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=8453. See
also Human Rights in China Case Highlight, Shi Tao
and Yahoo, at http://hrichina.org/public/
highlight/index.html.
34. For example, the Web site China Consultation Net
was reportedly shut down on August 3, 2006, after
80 percent of respondents answered “yes” to a poll
asking whether competitive elections should be held
to choose the general secretary of the Chinese
Communist Party. Kristine Kwok, “Mainland censors
shut down pair of websites,” South China Morning
Post, August 5, 2006. Also, a Netease editor was
reportedly fired for an online survey where 64 percent of respondents replied they would not like to be
born Chinese in the next life. Howard French,
“Beijing’s growing urge to dominate the media,” The
International Herald Tribune, September 22, 2006. In
another case, authorities withdrew the operating
license of the Web site polls (Zhongguo guoqing
zixun) on August 3, 2006. The Web site
(http://www.s007s.com/) had recently asked visitors
to “cast votes” on the question: “Do you think the
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
should be chosen from among several candidates in
differential voting?” Nearly 75 percent of those polled
had answered “yes.” (See IFEX, “Websites shut
down amid Internet crackdown,” http://ifex.org/
alerts/content/view/full/76210/).
35. Xinhua News Agency, “China to tighten supervision
over blogs, online search engines,” June 29, 2006.
See also Howard French, “Chinese discuss plan to
tighten restrictions on cyberspace,” The New York
Times, July 4, 2006.
36. Raymond Li and Kristine Kwok, “Popular forum
rushes to go offline after closure order: Mainland
authorities shut-down Century China, a multiforum
site with over 30,000 registered users,” South China
Morning Post, July 25, 2006, reprinted at
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=
49836.
37. People’s Daily, “Fourteen Beijing websites issue joint
proposal for civilized management of the Internet,”
(Beijing 14 jia wangzhan lianhe xiang hulianwangjie
fachu wenming banwang changyishu), April 10,
2006, http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/
4283453.html.
270
Country Summaries
cyberspace,” December 12, 2006.
29. Xinhua News Agency, “Real-name online registration
system meets opposition in China,” January 8, 2007.
30. The nine types of content that have been illegal to
produce or disseminate since the earliest Internet
regulations are: 1) violating the basic principles as
they are confirmed in the Constitution; 2) endangering state security, divulging state secrets, subverting
the national regime, or jeopardizing the integrity of
national unity; 3) harming national honor or interests;
4) inciting hatred against peoples, racism against
peoples, or disrupting the solidarity of peoples; 5)
disrupting national policies on religion, propagating
evil cults and feudal superstitions; 6) spreading
rumors, disturbing social order, or disrupting social
stability; 7) spreading obscenity, pornography, gambling, violence, terror, or abetting the commission of
a crime; 8) insulting or defaming third parties,
infringing on legal rights and interests of third parties; and 9) other content prohibited by law and
administrative regulations. Two categories of prohibited content were added in Article 19 of the
Provisions on the Administration of Internet News
Information Services (Internet News Information
Services Regulations) (hulianwang xinwen xinxi fuwu
guanli guiding), promulgated by the State Council
Information Office and the Ministry of Information
Industry on September 25, 2005. These two additional categories are 1) inciting illegal assemblies,
associations, marches, demonstrations, or gatherings that disturb social order; and 2) conducting
activities in the name of an illegal civil organization.
Translation is available at http://www.cecc.gov/
pages/virtualAcad/index.phpd?showsingle=24396.
31. See, for example, Rules of the NPC Standing
Committee on Safeguarding Internet Security
(Quanguo renda changweihui guanyu weihu hulianwang anquan de guiding), issued by the NPC
Standing Committee on December 28, 2000.
32. Raymond Li and Kristine Kwok, “Popular forum
rushes to go offline after closure order: Mainland
authorities shut-down Century China, a multi-forum
site with over 30,000 registered users,” South China
Morning Post, July 25, 2006, reprinted at
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=
49836; South China Morning Post, “Chinese
Communist Party launches website to promote
social stability,” October 20, 2006. The official order
cited Article 19 of the 2005 Internet News Information
Services Regulations.
33. Reporters Without Borders, Press Release, “Bad
start to year for online free expression,” January 12,
2007, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=
20383; Reporters Without Borders, Press Release,
“Verdict in cyberdissident Li Zhi case confirms
implication of Yahoo!” February 27, 2006,
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=16579;
Reporters Without Borders, Press Release, “Cyberdissident convicted on Yahoo! information is freed
after four years,” November 9, 2006,
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=8453. See
also Human Rights in China Case Highlight, Shi Tao
and Yahoo, at http://hrichina.org/public/
highlight/index.html.
34. For example, the Web site China Consultation Net
was reportedly shut down on August 3, 2006, after
80 percent of respondents answered “yes” to a poll
asking whether competitive elections should be held
to choose the general secretary of the Chinese
Communist Party. Kristine Kwok, “Mainland censors
shut down pair of websites,” South China Morning
Post, August 5, 2006. Also, a Netease editor was
reportedly fired for an online survey where 64 percent of respondents replied they would not like to be
born Chinese in the next life. Howard French,
“Beijing’s growing urge to dominate the media,” The
International Herald Tribune, September 22, 2006. In
another case, authorities withdrew the operating
license of the Web site polls (Zhongguo guoqing
zixun) on August 3, 2006. The Web site
(http://www.s007s.com/) had recently asked visitors
to “cast votes” on the question: “Do you think the
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China
should be chosen from among several candidates in
differential voting?” Nearly 75 percent of those polled
had answered “yes.” (See IFEX, “Websites shut
down amid Internet crackdown,” http://ifex.org/
alerts/content/view/full/76210/).
35. Xinhua News Agency, “China to tighten supervision
over blogs, online search engines,” June 29, 2006.
See also Howard French, “Chinese discuss plan to
tighten restrictions on cyberspace,” The New York
Times, July 4, 2006.
36. Raymond Li and Kristine Kwok, “Popular forum
rushes to go offline after closure order: Mainland
authorities shut-down Century China, a multiforum
site with over 30,000 registered users,” South China
Morning Post, July 25, 2006, reprinted at
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=
49836.
37. People’s Daily, “Fourteen Beijing websites issue joint
proposal for civilized management of the Internet,”
(Beijing 14 jia wangzhan lianhe xiang hulianwangjie
fachu wenming banwang changyishu), April 10,
2006, http://politics.people.com.cn/GB/1026/
4283453.html.
270
Country Summaries