Chinese cadres have been urged to properly manage public opinion online to respond to outcries and ensure social stability.
In a social media post on Friday, the publicity branch of the Communist Party in Zhejiang province said “an extreme minority” of officials had been ignoring views expressed online and were instead censoring criticism.
“Some cadres avoid solving problems in reality and rely on ‘control’ by cyberspace authorities,” the post said, warning that this would lead to more serious problems.
It also quoted Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s comments that “if we fail to govern the internet well, we will fail to ensure long-term governance,” to emphasise the importance of effective cyberspace regulation.
The post blamed bureaucracy and prejudice for ignoring complaints posted online and said some officials have an outdated mindset and only care about their own positions or the interests of their own department or region.
“Although these officials attach some importance to public opinion, they only focus on reports from mainstream media and ignore online discussion. Some even think that ‘it is just internet discussion, and it does not matter’,” it said.
The post warned that it will be too late if complaints are ignored until they attract media coverage.