Cyber security remains a major challenge for mainland authorities, who often find themselves caught in a dilemma between clamping down on increasingly vocal internet users to maintain stability and presenting a positive international image, a leading government censor says.
Wang Chen, head of the State Council Information Office, also admitted in a briefing yesterday that despite the central government's push for greater openness, some local governments had tried to muzzle media and withhold key information from the public in the wake of accidents and unrest.
'The internet has become an important element of China's economic and social development and an influential new media,' he said. 'Security problems with China's internet have also become increasingly pressing, as with many other countries in the world.'
With the number of internet users climbing rapidly, authorities have tightened their control over the media and the internet, stepping up their crackdown on different opinions expressed online over the past year - which they see as threats to the legitimacy of one-party rule.
Analysts said such crackdowns were often carried out on the pretext of protecting minors from cyber pornography, combating internet viruses and fraud, or other content deemed unhealthy.
The number of mainland internet users rose to 450 million by the end of last month, up 20 per cent from last year, Wang said.
In a year-long government campaign to crack down on pornography, violence and other harmful material on the internet that Wang described as top security threats, more than 60,000 websites were shut down.
