Internet moguls urge rule of law in cyber space

China needs to enhance rule of law on the Internet to create a clean cyber space, experts said at a seminar Saturday.

Ren Xianliang, deputy director of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country's top Internet watchdog, said officials in charge of Internet supervision should learn from past experiences and try to explore new ways to manage the virtual world.

"An important aspect of proper website management is to spread positive energy," Ren said at a seminar on the management of websites held in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province.

Ren's words came on the heels of a key meeting of the Communist Party of China last month, which focused on rule of law in China.

Late last month, the CAC echoed the Party's embrace of rule of law by pledging to govern online space in accordance with the law.

Tian Shubin, board chairman of the website Xinhuanet.com under China's official Xinhua News Agency, emphasized the importance of self-discipline, saying that website operators should behave within the limits of law.

China's Internet businesses have been hit by scandals, most recently by an alleged scam case involving a prominent business website.

Earlier in September, several members of 21cbh.com were detained on suspicion of extorting money from more than 200 companies in return for favorable coverage on the site.