A new offensive against the use of Internet cafes in China has been launched, this time limited to the city of Beijing. According to the China Daily newspaper, the more than 1,000 Internet cafes in the Chinese capital will be subject to rigorous inspections, with the suspension or closure of all those who do not comply with the rules imposed by the Chinese government, including restricting access to minors to space for surfing the Internet and consulting sites considered illegal.
In 2004 the Chinese government launched an identical national campaign that led to the closure of 50,000 establishments due to a lack of licensing. However, the number of illegal Internet cafes in Chinese suburbs and small towns remains a concern. In this way, the government opened a direct line to which establishments that work illegally should be reported.
The demand for these spaces is increasing, as Chinese users are able to express themselves anonymously on political issues through the Internet. The Chinese communist regime condemns the use of the Internet, when used for these purposes, since it opens doors to Western thoughts.
According to the Chinese government, it is estimated that there are about 670 thousand websites of Chinese origin and around 103 million Chinese users browsing the Internet, 4 million from Beijing, which translates to «one in four inhabitants city, «says the Beijing Times.
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