Chinese authorities are further tightening their control over public opinion on the Internet. Chinese self-publishing operators and public number writers recently received notices requiring them to obtain permits before publishing political, military and economic-related information.
According to RTHK media reports, China’s Internet management agency, the Internet Information Office, held a national video conference on January 29, announcing that it will focus on rectifying outstanding problems that disrupt the order of online communication, such as the existence of self-publishing media, short-form video platforms, and hot search hotlists. Zhuang Rongwen, vice minister of the propaganda department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and director of the Internet Information Office, emphasized that “adhering to the correct political direction, public opinion guidance and value orientation is a top priority”. Tencent, Sina Weibo and other websites participated in the meeting. According to the spirit of this meeting, the focus of the standardized management is on the self-media.
This year is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party and the opening year of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan. China’s Internet Information Office has made it clear that this year, “it is of special importance to maintain the order of network communication and ensure that positive energy is abundant and the main theme is high in cyberspace.
The notice, received by Chinese self-publishing operators and public website authors, warned that posts and comments on topics such as politics, the military and the economy from unapproved accounts would be at risk of censorship, Hong Kong‘s Sing Tao Daily reported.
Ma Xiaolin, a professor at Zhejiang Foreign Studies University, said in a Jan. 30 Weibo post that he received a phone call from Sina’s microblogging service at noon that day informing him that he could no longer post original content about politics, military and economics on his personal Weibo account in the future. He said that as a researcher and columnist on international issues, it seems that he can only go the route of eating, drinking and having fun in the future.
Ma Xiaolin is a former senior journalist of Xinhua News Agency and former founder of Bolian News Agency. He has more than 2 million followers on Sina Weibo. Ma Xiaolin has covered the Iraq War and specializes in Middle East issues and Islamic affairs.
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