China Sets Site On The Internet

After trying to beat its ideological opponents by blocking access to certain news and political Internet sites, the Chinese government has joined the fray in cyberspace by putting its own home page on the World Wide Web.

The “Welcome to China” site includes a color photo of the Forbidden City and a red national flag rippling in the wind.

The Web page (www.china.or.cn) offers an eclectic mix of information ranging from scathing attacks on critics of China’s human rights policy to advice on how to safely cross the street in Beijing.

Internet specialists in Beijing see the Web page as a positive sign in China’s love-hate relationship with global communications.

“Even the Chinese government is starting to realize how important the Internet is,” said Russell Liu, a director of Webleader Computer Systems, a Beijing-based Internet company.

Asked about the Web page, Telecommunications Minister Wu Jichuan said the government was spreading “facts about China through the Internet so that misunderstanings about China can be corrected. The government is always of the view that it must take advantage of the Internet while eliminating its shortcomings.”