In an unusual move, the ruling Communist Party's newspaper published a commentary calling for freedom of speech and tolerance of different views, while citing one of the most famous Western quotes about freedom of thought and expression.
People's Daily led a commentary yesterday with a quotation often attributed to French philosopher Voltaire: 'I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.'
This definition of freedom of thought and expression is widely accepted in the West as a core principle of a free society.
The article was published amid a stepped-up crackdown on political dissent, a tightening of the authorities' grip on the media and an increasingly loud chorus for political reform within and outside the ruling hierarchy following widespread political upheaval in the Arab world.
While officials have ruled out the possibility that the regime heading the last major communist-ruled nation will follow in the steps of the rulers of Tunisia or Egypt, the government has launched its biggest crackdown in years, rounding up dozens of lawyers, journalists, bloggers and other activists since online appeals for 'jasmine revolution' protests began circulating on the mainland in mid-February.
The article pointedly criticised the widespread official intolerance of dissenting views and condemned those using their powers to suppress such expression.