Chinese petitioning goes online

China's top authority for handling comments and complaints from the public formally started receiving petitions submitted via the Internet on Monday.

The State Bureau of Letters and Calls (SBLC) has created a special section on its website that allows Internet users to sign up and submit petitions.

People can lodge complaints when their rights are infringed upon as a result of an abuse of power on the part of authorities, enterprises, public institutions, civil groups or their employees, according to a guide posted on the bureau's website.

They can also offer comments or suggestions regarding the work of the above-mentioned entities and their employees.

Concerned organs must fully understand the importance of employing Internet-based technology, Shu Xiaoqin, head of the bureau, said at a meeting held for the launch of the online petitioning service.

She described the Internet-based petitioning service as a step required by both the times and the situation, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

The bureau aims to use the online platform to ensure transparency and improve public oversight, the official said.

She also urged authorities to continue to boost efficiency and make it more convenient for petitioners to have their voices heard.

The move came after a June 18 speech delivered by President Xi Jinping signalled the start of a year-long campaign to further ties between the the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and the people.

The SBLC's online petitioning initiative has drawn applause from analysts and Internet users, though some have expressed doubt about the new option's reliability and results.

The People's Daily, the flagship newspaper of the CPC, in an op-ed called the move "an effort to restructure the country's Letters and Calls work pattern" and "to innovate and adapt the system to the times."

China's petitioning system dates back to the early 1950s and has played a supporting role in public supervision over Party and state organs.

Under the system, people can seek solutions and help when their rights are infringed upon by some authority or its staff members by visiting or writing letters and calls agencies.