Chinese President talks to netizens

BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao talked to Internet users Friday morning via a major news portal, the first time that the nation's leader has gone online to chat with the public.

Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, was speaking through a forum of people.com.cn, the news portal of the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the CPC.

At the Qiangguo Forum, the public started posting questions for Hu minutes after the news that he would talk was released.

The Internet is a major channel for public opinion, Hu said during the chat.

China had the world's most net users with 221 million as of February, outnumbering that of the United States.

"I am squeezing in time to go on-line, though I cannot surf the web every day due to my busy workload," Hu said in answer to a question.

The Qiangguo Forum was a "must-visit" website, Hu said.

"I log on to view domestic and foreign news, to learn what interests people on the Internet and to solicit their advice and opinions about the work of our government and Party," said Hu in response to posts about his online life.

"I am very much concerned about some of the problems and opinions raised," he said in the 20-minute conversation. "We must listen to the people and lean on their wisdom to do a good job."

The Qiangguo Forum originates from a virtual reality community launched by www.people.com.cn to lodge protests against the U.S.-led NATO forces bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade on May 9, 1999.

It was renamed on June 19 to the Qiangguo Forum, which has the literal meaning of "powering the nation". It has more than 23,000 daily postings and the highest simultaneous webpage visits exceeded 1.4 million.

BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao will talk to netizens Friday morning via a major news portal, the first time that a top leader goes online to chat with the public.

Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, is visiting the People's Daily, where he will communicate with netizens at a forum of people.com.cn, the news portal of the mouthpiece of CPC. Full story

BEIJING, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The majority of web surfers who left messages on bbs of China's key websites regarded the political report of Hu Jintao to the 17th Communist Party of China(CPC) National Congress as "very forward-leaning and Hu tells as it is."

A web surfer who logged on the Xinhuanet.com bbs said Hu's report is an excellent one that highlights people's livelihood. The CPC cares the most for livelihood, prosperity and harmony of the Chinese society, the web surfer said. Full story

BEIJING. Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council, the country's Cabinet, will make use of the Internet as a standard method of inviting public opinion on draft laws and regulations.

In the second half of 2007, the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council established an information management system on its official website to collect opinions on draft laws and regulations on a trial basis. Full story

BEIJING, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Internet has become an important channel for Chinese public to participate in political affairs, said a senior manager of an internet website on Thursday.

Now more and more people express their ideas and proposals through websites thanks to a more open and free press and the increasing confidence of the country's leaders, said Chen Tong, vice president of Sina.com. Full story

BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Xiao Liu, a staff member of the Longhua District government, Haikou City, South China's Hainan Province, has recently received xinhuanet.com's special edition of Mobile Phone Newspaper for the annual sessions of China's National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Particularly, Liu is interested in the interactive sector in which questions are solicited for an exclusive interview program. People can join the interview via Fetion, a mobile instant messaging service. So, Liu sent out a message asking his questions about the social security insurance for migrant workers.