In an apparent effort to counter the growing internet presence by Tibetans and Tibet supporters throughout the world, the Chinese Government is expanding its main portal on Tibet, China Tibet Information Center (CTIC) announced on October 29, 2004.
CTIC said it was moving to “a new large office considering the enlarging crew and expanding operation” on October 30, 2004.
CTIC had launched a website in Chinese on May 25, 2000, followed by one in English on January 1, 2001 and another in Tibetan on September 12, 2001. It said Chinese leader Hu Jintao had tasked it with the following: “Efforts must be made to build the website into an important medium through which people at home and abroad can get an objective and true perspective of Tibet in all aspects and the largest one in the world”. “The whole staff of the Center will act in accordance with the instructions given by Hu Jintao, a leader of the central authorities,” CTIC said.
The websites are constructed by Intercontinental Pan-Chinese Network Information Technology Co., Ltd., China.
As an indication of its aggressive policy, CTIC has sent e-mails to websites hosted by Tibet-related organizations abroad, including the Tibetan Government-in-Exile www.tibet.com, Tibet Information Network, portal of the Tibet Support Groups www.tibet.org, Free Tibet Campaign www.freetibet.org, and International Campaign for Tibet www.https://savetibet.org requesting to place a link to their site http://en.tibet.cn.
“I am writing on behalf of China Tibet Information Center (en.tibet.cn), a website full of Tibet information in China. We find your website through google.com,” said an e-mail from CTIC of October 7, 2004 to these organizations. “After scanning your web pages, we find the same point between us is that we all put enough concern on China’s Tibet,” the e-mail added.
Introducing the content of their website, the CTIC e-mail said, “Our net is divided into 14 channels, besides the news channel, the other 13 make detailed introduction of Tibet from different directions, such as history, culture, people, religion, art and so on.”