With the support of the government and the Internet Society of China, the China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Centre and its Website net.china.cn were established on June 10, 2004.

The mission of the center is to report illegal information and protect the public. Anyone can report illegal information to the center through its Website, a telephone hotline, or by email. After screening, classifying and verifying the reports, the center refers them to law-enforcement, and at the same time sends a notice to the illegal sites, requesting that they delete the illegal information. A huge amount of harmful online has been removed in this way.

The China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Centre has seen a steady rise in the number of reports it receives each year; we have received 1.64 million in total. Pornography and fraud account for 48.5 percent and 32.6 percent of the reports. The remaining 18.9 percent concern Internet-related infringements such as viruses, and so on.

The China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Centre is essentially a public inspection system that is attempting to clean up the Web. Since we were established six years ago, our work has produced very positive results, which I attribute to the following reasons:

Combating illegal information is the common goal of the whole society and a prerequisite for building a harmonious society. Since China, throughout its 5,000-year history, has always stood up for virtue and right thinking, the pornography, violence and fraud that appear on the Internet are condemned and opposed by the whole society.

The Chinese government has consistently encouraged netizens to participate in building a healthy Internet environment. While the government constructs the infrastructure and formulates industrial policies, it also pays a great deal of attention to the whole Web environment. Since The State Council Information Office, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology set up specific departments to deal with illegal online information, the reports we refer to them have always been handled in a timely manner.

The Internet industry itself also enforces discipline and welcomes public supervision. After making extensive contacts with domestic Internet service providers through visits, seminars and jointly-organized social welfare activities, we came to a common understanding that nurturing a healthy Internet is also a prerequisite for the development of the Internet industry. Currently, more than 160 top Chinese Internet service providers have signed the Information Service Self-Discipline Agreement. Committed to their social obligations, they have promised not to produce and spread harmful information that jeopardizes national security and social stability, or that violates the law, and to combat pornography, superstition, and content that contradicts Chinese culture, tradition and ethical standards.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Internet has made the world a better place and has hugely enhanced our lives. To help the Internet, the greatest invention of the 20th century, even better serve the world, my company and I hope to work with colleagues from other countries to build a healthy, safe online environment and make the Internet a showcase for world culture and a bridge that connects people of all nations.