A report in Asia Times argues that the power struggle between Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao is being played out in cyberspace as well as in the corridors of power. The article cites the existence of two websites, China Petition Network and Media Supervision of China as evidence of Hu’s tolerance for online speech and public supervision of the CCP.
According to the report: “There is widespread speculation that reformist President Hu Jintao is encouraging freedom of speech in cyberspace in order to build public support and consensus for his views and to discredit his opponents. He has been pushing greater democracy, accountability and transparency within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the Internet may well be helping him. “
