Xi Jinping: "Officials, Actively Respond to Netizens' Concerns"

Seeming to Acknowledge Last Year's Silent Protest at Year-End

Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed Communist Party officials to frequently access the internet and actively respond to the concerns of netizens.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to China's Xinhua News Agency on the 30th, President Xi stated in an article for the Communist Party theory journal "Qiushi," to be published on the 1st of next month, that "the internet is an important arena and means for carrying out mass work in the new era."

He said, "Leading cadres should always access the internet to understand the thoughts and desires of the masses and collect good ideas and suggestions," adding, "They must actively respond to the concerns of netizens and effectively dispel doubts."

President Xi's directive for officials to respond to public sentiment on the internet is notable as it comes after the "blank paper protests" erupted across China in November last year in response to COVID-19 lockdown measures. The young participants in the blank paper protests communicated and coordinated their participation through social networking services (SNS) and other internet platforms.

Xi's order is interpreted as a call to monitor public opinion trends and take preemptive measures to prevent internet public sentiment from manifesting in collective actions like last year's blank paper protests.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.