Photo: IC

Two important pieces of news came out on Friday. 

First, the provincial CPC committee of Northeast China's Jilin Province announced the removal of He Dian, deputy director of the province's Department of Public Security, from his post. He had previously written the Safeness Sutra, a book that has come under widespread criticism for "nonsense."

Second, Zhejiang University expelled the male student surnamed Nu, who was previously allowed to remain enrolled despite he was found guilty of rape by court and was sentenced to 18 months in jail with 18 months of reprieve. 

Both events were driven by China's internet public opinion, and are the latest successful examples of online public opinion playing a supervising role.

I must say that China's internet is still quite powerful. As long as something unreasonable is caught on the internet and forms widespread opposition, strong pressure can be exerted on the local governments and departments involved. In most cases, as long as the online public opinion are reasonable voices that focus on specific issues, it can often lead to correction and adjustment, so that those who violate Party discipline and the law will pay the price.

I would like to praise the supervising power of internet public opinion. This is a clear and dignified portrayal of our society. It is also an expression of how public opinion is actually very useful in China. This is subtly different from our usual impressions, which is worth studying and exploring.

Certainly, I hope that the room of public opinion can be continuously expanded, the reach of public opinion supervision could be wider to form a stronger deterrent. The internet public opinion has become a valuable resource for the Chinese public to strengthen their participation in social governance. While strengthening management, it is undoubtedly necessary to protect and enrich this resource.

The author is editor-in-chief of the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn