The online instructions by a provincial Party chief show the importance of cyberspace in supervising the government's work, says an article on the website of People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:

In the past two months, Zhang Baoshun, the Party chief of Shanxi Province, has put out 47 online answers and comments to the questions posted by netizens on the website of the People's Daily. Most of the postings by netizens are about the sufferings and practical concerns of the masses, and they have mostly been addressed after Zhang issued the answers.

Traditionally, comments by high-ranking officials are usually written in formal documents, papers, or reports, and they would be passed down to the lower level authorities for review and implementation. The online comments issued by this Party chief show that he pays great attention to the online opinions voiced by Internet users.

Nowadays, government officials need more channels to know about the real conditions of the people and urgently need a tool to access facts and truth. Cyberspace is the right tool for them.

Online opinions are usually more open, timely and closer to the truth than ones reported through official channels. Thus, they are more helpful for those officials who work diligently for the people to make right decisions.

(China Daily February 11, 2009)