"Transparent" and "democratic" are two words not customarily associated with China's Communist government, except in Orwellian terms, but the country which cracks down on adult and "questionable" sociopolitical materials is calling for "multilateral, transparent, and democratic" Internet controls with the full involvement of the world's governments as well as the private sector and international organizations.
International controls over the Net "should ensure an equitable distribution of resources, facilitate access for all and ensure a stable and secure functioning," said Chinese ambassador to the United Nations Sha Zukang to a UN-sponsored Internet conference, adding that China opposes "monopolization" of the Net by "one state," meaning the United States.
"It is of crucial importance," Sha continued, "to conduct research on establishing a multilateral governance mechanism that is more rational and just and more conducive to the Internet development in a direction of stable, secure and responsible functioning and more conducive to the continuous technological innovation."
The problems include Chinese fears that the Internet stands to compromise the government's control over its citizens. China's government strictly prohibits criticism of the Communist Party and is one of the world's most censorious regimes when it comes to Internet use, with periodic raids against cybercafes and arrests of Chinese Netizens who post writings critical of the government's behavior and ideology.
China began an anti-porn crackdown on the Internet last June-July, closing a reported 12,000 Internet cafes since that the government believed lax in enforcing rules to keep minors from viewing adult materials or playing violent or sexual computer games.
The government has also been reported to have closed 47,000 "illegal" cybercafes in toto between February-December 2004, including 21,000 until they "undergo an overhaul" and others suspected of disseminating "harmful cultural information", according to reports citing the country's Ministry of Culture.
The Ministries of Culture, Education, and Public Security each joined in those closures as well as the anti-porn crackdown, while those and other government agencies are reported trying to promote development of chain cybercafes in a bid to squeeze out illegal cybercafes through the market.
